Bleak
by Eclair Designs
Summary: Kendall Evans and Jackson Turner are former Military Policeman in the U.S Army who were abandoned the day havoc took over planet earth. Trying to survive, they run into a group of survivor's who entrust them to into joining the group. Who will live? Who will survive? Daryl/OC Story.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is my first Walking Dead fanfic, so hopefully it will be to your enjoyment, Please review, I would love to hear feedback.

Chapter 1: Prologue.

It's been seven months since the world became the devils playground. Seven long, excruciating months of trying to survive in this piece of shit planet they called earth. They knew no one was coming for their aid. After being separated from their group, they had sent countless amounts of distress calls to the others, but no one heeded their frantic pleas for help. They were abandoned.

Kendall Evans and Jackson Turner were Military Police in the U.S. Army who'd just recently returned from Afghanistan before the horrible plague took place, but none of that mattered anymore. It was kill or be killed in this cruel world. And frankly, they chose to kill. They wanted to survive in hopes that one day, someone would heed their call and they could regroup with the others so they could plan their next step. Operation: 'Take back mother earth' as they called it.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Fourteen years in the military, Kendall Evans and Jackson Turner knew exactly just how to survive. Though lately, it seemed like it was getting more difficult by the day. It started off small. They would ransack mini markets, gun shops and pharmacies, just random places that would have necessities for them to keep on living. Before they knew, there wasn't much left in those sole trade businesses. So, they had to step it up a notch and target much bigger businesses. Places were two people would be no match against the dead roaming the area, but they had no choice. They had to survive.

"Remember Evans, no gunshots. Knife's only" He panted, placing the earpiece into his ear. "We don't want to draw anymore of those fuckers to us. Grab what you can, and we'll regroup back here in ten."

She nodded wiping the sweat off her brow. "Yes sir."

His mouth quirked into a smirk and he took a few steps towards her, kissing her roughly on the lips. "Be careful and stay focused." He ordered and gave her a quick tap on the ass before they parted ways.

She dropped the military backpack on the floor and chucked various canned goods and other foods into the bag. She immediately froze when she heard something drop a few aisles down from her. Kendall grabbed the machete from its sheath that was strapped behind her back and picked up her backpack, draping it back over her shoulder, heading in the direction of the noise.

She pressed the button on the wired ear piece. "Turner, what's your twenty?" She whispered, tightening her grip on the machete.

Kendall's heart was about to rip its way out of her ribcage. He wasn't responding. Did he manage to get himself attacked? Surely he would have warned her and ordered her to retreat. She knew she had to stay calm. She couldn't afford to slip up and get bit by one of those things. She pressed her back against an aisle end cap and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She opened her breast pocket and pulled out a mirror to get a better view of the next aisle.

"Shit" She muttered, cursing her bad luck and turned towards down the aisle. She whistled grabbing the attention of the two biters. "Come to momma, you skin puppets."

Kendall smirked as they approached her quickly, ready to feed on her warm, delicious flesh that she had no desire of letting them taste. "You two are wasting what's left of my valuable time." She snarled, dropping her backpack onto the ground so she could move efficient. Everything happened so fast. She lifted her leg and kicked one of the biters in the chest knocking him down onto the hard floor, while she attended to the other.

She wheeled around and thrusted the knife down into the biters skull, making sure it wouldn't get up ever again. She pulled the machete out and proceeded to the other that was barely getting up. A scowl placed itself on the woman's face as she pressed her boot against the biters chest, holding him down. As the biter struggled to get up, snapping its jaws at her, she lifted the machete into the air. "You things are the sole reason why I continue to survive. I will seek vengeance for what you've taken from me."

And with that, she brought the knife down with so much force she cut the biters head clean off. "Great, now you've gotten blood all over my fucking vest." She growled, kicking the biter in disgust.

Before Kendall could place the machete back in the sheath more biters appeared. She counted seven heading down her way and grabbed her backpack off of the ground. "Turner, it's time to retreat." She ordered and darted in the direction where they agreed to meet up, but stopped dead in her tracks as more biters came flooding in. She rolled her head back in annoyance. "You're like roaches, I swear!" She groaned

"Evans, time to go with Plan B," Turner ordered. "Head for the emergency exit, I'll pull around."

"10-4" Kendall placed her machete back in its sheath and pulled out a .22 glock with a silencer attachment. She ran down the long hall towards the emergency exit, taking biters out one at a time. She took a glance behind her and noticed a herd closing in behind her. Finally the emergency exit was a few feet away and she burst opened the door, causing the alarm to go off, drawing more biters.

Turner wheeled around the corner and opened the passenger side door. "Get in!" He ordered. She threw her backpack in the bed of the truck and jumped in, quickly closing the door. He pressed on the accelerator and drove them out of the infested parking lot.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"That was too fucking close." Kendall said. "We're not doing that again. We'll try a different town, a smaller one. There's got to be somewhere with less biters,"

"We've practically hit every surrounding place Kendall." He said.

"Then we'll keep moving, until we find a smaller town we haven't ransacked yet." She said, pulling out a map from the glove department.

He waved her off, earning him and agitated glare from her. "I wouldn't worry about it for a while," He said. "We have enough in the truck to hold us off a couple months."

Kendall wheeled her head to the bed of the truck, before turning her attention back to him. "What the-, how the hell did you manage to get all that in there with just a short amount of time?" She staggered.

Jackson grinned. "I have my ways." He chuckled and arched his back, reaching into his back pocket pulling out a crushed blue box. "Good news though, I found more condoms."

Even after the dangerous situation they found themselves in, Kendall could help but smile. "Pull over," She laughed, grabbing the box out of his hands.

"What, now?" He said. "Not that I don't mind fucking you sens-"

"Dammit Turner, pull the truck over. Don't make me ask again." She interrupted unzipping his fly, pulling out his erected member and sliding the condom on.

This time there was no questioning her intent. He pulled over and checked to make sure no biters were around before scooting the seat back. "Come get it baby." He smirked, pulling her over to him and kissed her passionately on the lips.


	2. Meeting

**A/N: Thanks to ****Leyshla Gisel**** for reviewing and for those who favorite and followed please drop more reviews…would totally make my weekend.**

**Chapter 2: Meeting**

"_When do you think they'll let you come back home?"_

_Kendall shrugged. "Hopefully soon," She whispered. "I'm hoping they'll let me come home before the end of this year. I miss her, and you. I hate being away from you two, it kills me every day. She's growing up so fast, and I'm missing everything."_

"_Then stay home," He whispered, wrapping his strong arms around her. _

_She chuckled. "You know I can't do that, Marshall." She said, burying her head into his chest. "I have an important job to do. I must protect this country and its people." _

"_I want another baby." He murmured into her hair. _

_She slightly pulled away from him stunned, as she stared into his beautiful blue eyes. Since Riley, they hadn't discussed having more children. She was ecstatic. He wanted to have another baby with her. Tears welled in her eyes, which he gently wiped away with his thumbs. _

"_Mom," The tired child whimpered. "Don't go."_

_She smiled warmly and pulled away from her loving husband and walked towards their daughter, kneeling down at her bedside. "Hey baby," She said softly, running a hand gently through her hair. "I have to leave, but I'll be back before you know it. And the three of us will take a nice long vacation. How do you like the sound of that?"_

"_I have a bad feeling." She mumbled. _

"_Listen to me baby," She said. "There's nothing for you to be afraid of. Mommy and daddy will always protect you, no matter what."_

"_But you won't be here to protect us from the monsters." She said. _

_She quickly turned her head and glared at her husband. "Marshall, you know how I feel about her watching horror movies." She scolded. _

_He put his hands up in defense. "I swear babe. You know I'm against her watching those kinds of things until she's older." He defended. _

"_Mmhmm," She said and turned back to their drowsy child. "You remember what mommy told you?" _

_She slowly nodded. "I have to be strong and brave for you and daddy."_

_Kendall smiled. "That's right baby girl," She said, as she removed the cross necklace from around her neck. She gently lifted her daughter's head and placed the necklace over her daughter's head. "No matter what happens, I'll always be with you."_

_Riley wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and sobbed. "I love you mommy." She cried. _

_Kendall knew she had to be strong, but she slowly felt herself slipping. Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged her daughter close to her. "I love you too baby," She whispered. "More than you'll ever know."_

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall Evans woke with a start when the truck came to a halt. "Son of a bitch," Jackson growled as he hit his hand hard against the steering wheel in frustration. She reached to the side lever and pulled her seat up so she could get a better view of the situation.

"Well, this is just splendid." She sighed at the countless amounts of abandoned cars blocking their path. "Try pulling around to the median, maybe we can maneuver around these vehicles."

As he slowly wheeled around the abandoned cars, Kendall looked out the window. She frowned at the sight. These poor souls never stood a chance, they were left for dead just like them. The truck came to a halt once again and she looked over to Jackson. "Why did you stop?"She asked.

"The road seems pretty clear of biters. Thought it might be a good chance for us to gather any more necessities," He said, turning off the ignition to preserve what fuel they had left. "First off, I need you to cover me. I'm going to try draw up as much fuel from this vehicle as I can,"

She nodded wearily as he reached into the back seat and grabbed their rifles. Jackson reached into the bed of the truck and pulled out a hose and a two fuel cans. Kendall climbed onto the roof of a car and looked through her binoculars for any signs of a threat.

"So, what's on the menu for tonight?" Jackson asked breaking the eerie silence.

A small chuckle escaped her lips as she looked down at Jackson as he siphoned the fuel into the can before turning her attention back to the graveyard. "I swear, is that all you manage to think about Jackson." She said. "Does any of this even have an effect on you?"

"Just trying to lighten the-"

"Shh." She interrupted, holding up a hand to keep him from talking. "Did you hear that?"

Jackson quickly dropped the hose and picked up his rifle, prepared to take out any oncoming biters. "What am I supposed to be listening to Evans?"

She heard it again and her eyes widen in disbelief. "It's a motorcycle!" She said quickly, peering through her binoculars in the direction of the noise. Soon she caught glimpse of a man riding a motorcycle. The damn thing was so loud it was bound to attract biters, followed by an RV and a station wagon. "We're not alone, there are more survivors!"

Excitement flooded through her body. They weren't alone. There were still people out there fighting for their lives, trying to survive. She counted eleven total survivors, nine adults and two children.

"How far out?" He asked, quickly placing the cap back on the fuel can.

She jumped off the hood of the car and smiled. "Not too far, about a mile or two." She said, heading in the direction of the other survivors. "We should go. See if they're in need to any supplies."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," He said pulling her back to him. "Let's not get to hasty Evans. We don't even know what kind of people we're dealing with here. For all we know, they could put a bullet in our skulls and take whatever supplies we've worked so damn hard to retrieve in a matter of seconds."

"Jackson, there's children with them. We have to go." She insisted.

"All the more reason for them to kill us," He said.

"The day we enlisted in the military, we raised our right hand and we solemnly swore to protect the United States and its people. We have a job to do, and by god we're going to do it." She said.

"Did you even listen to a word you just said?" He said. "The U.S. Military abandoned us and threw us to the wolves. As far as I'm concerned, we no longer work for the military. We are no longer bound by their so called 'oath' and are free to do as we please. They couldn't give a rat's ass about us or any survivors in this god forsaken country. All they care about is themselves, no one else. It's a dog-eat-dog world and right now, I just want to focus on the two of us surviving."

Deep down she knew he was right, but hearing those words leaving his mouth struck a chord in her heart. There was a rule her father engraved into her memory when she was just a child. The exact same rule she had the liberty of passing down to her daughter known as, The Golden Rule. In this rule, it's stated that one should treat others as one would like others to treat themselves.

"Wow," She said disgusted. "You really are no better than the people who left us out here to rot. I honestly thought you better that Jackson, but I guess I was wrong about you."

With lightning speed, Jackson roughly grabbed her by her vest straps and pushed her back against the hood of a car. "Don't you ever, I mean ever compare me to those ingrates again," He snarled. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be alive right now sweetheart."

Kendall glared up at him as his anger filled eyes looked down at her. "It might be wise to remove your hands right about now," She warned.

He felt something sharp press against his privates. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked down to see her holding a blade to his most sacred possession. How she managed to pull a blade out on him so quickly without him even having knowledge of doing so was beyond him.

Jackson slowly released her and let out a relieved sigh as he felt the knife slacken away from his crotch. Kendall pulled herself upright again and placed the knife back into the side of her boot. "Just go." She croaked, trying not to cry. She and Jackson had been best friends since they enlisted in the military fourteen years ago. She was outraged; she was hurt and wasn't ready for them to part ways. But she loved him, so she did the only thing she could do…set him free.

"Dammit Kendall, don't do this to me. Don't make me choose." He said, taking a step forward. "I hate when you do that, that guilt trip."

She placed a hand on his chest to stop him from getting any closer. "Just go, I'll be alright." She reassured. "Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

Jackson pulled away and ran his hands through his hair. He looked really stressed and worried. A few minutes later he spoke up. "I could never forgive myself if I left you behind. I'm going with you. We're a team, we stick together." He said. "But if they decide to kill us, just know I told you so." Kendall smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around him. He groaned and pressed his face into the crook of her neck. "Though I really should look on the bright side of this, I suppose it would be better to have a bullet lodged into my skull other than having me screaming to my death as they slowly and painfully rip the flesh off my body."

She grimaced at the thought. "You know, you frighten me sometimes."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Something's wrong," Kendall said. "Their signaling the others,"

Jackson gripped her wrist stopping her from going any father. "Hold up." He cocked his head to one side, shut one eye and put the other behind the rifle scope. Slowly he moved the rifle around until he saw something that caught his eye." And for good reason, there's a shit load of biters heading in this direction. Get under the car, we have to hide!" He said, lowering his rifle.

He pushed her down to the closet car and pressed himself up against her. As he felt her trembling against him he pulled her close, hoping to give her some reassurance. One by one the biters walked right by them, never picking up their hiding spot. Kendall and Jackson let out relieved sighs as they got to see another day. Slowly he released his grip on her, but felt her flinch when they heard a scream. "It's a child!" She whispered urgently, crawling out from beneath the car.

"Dammit Kendall, get back here!" He ordered quietly.

She crouched beside the cars in case of any passing biters as she ran in the direction of the child's cries. She pulled the machete from its sheath as she caught sight of two biters chasing the little girl. As Kendall tightened her grip on her weapon, she noticed a man jumping over the guardrail in the direction where they were headed,

"Oh Lori, the walkers are after my baby!"

Kendall clenched her teeth and gripped the cross necklace around her neck. She couldn't bear the fact of someone else loosing someone precious to them, but she knew this nightmare would never end and people were going to die. The only thing Kendall could do was just try her best to protect those around her, until the moment came for her to die. Pushing her fear aside, Kendall moved her sling so the rifle was on her back and followed his lead.

She jumped over the guardrail and rolled down the steep hill. She quickly picked up her machete and began pursuit into the woods. As she got further into the woods she could hear the sound of splashing water and the man's voice.

"Come on you son of bitch," She heard the man taunt. "Come on!"

As the two biters followed after him, she quickly scanned the area for the child but to her avail the child was nowhere in sight. Muttering a curse, she followed after them praying the child managed to find her way back to the highway with the others.

Cautiously, Kendall began approaching the two biters from behind. She lifted her machete and swung to the side cutting his head clean off, his body dropping to the ground in a matter of seconds with a thud. She noticed the man come out from behind a tree with a large rock in his hands ready to defend himself. Not wasting any time, she reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a throwing knife and threw it into the back of the biters skull, killing him instantly.

He dropped the rock to the ground and looked at the woman before him, too lost for words. Kendall smiled wryly as she walked over to the biter to retrieve her knife. "What, cat got your tongue?" She said. "You could at least say thank you."

"Thank you." He said gratefully taking a few steps towards her and held out a hand "Rick Grimes"

She smiled. "Kendall Evans, United States Military Police Corps," She said extending her right hand and taking his in it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"The U.S. Army? Then you have come to help us. How many of you are here?"

"Unfortunately, it's just my partner and I." She said solemnly. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but help is not coming anytime soon. My partner and I just happened to stumble across you and your group and thought you might be in need of our assistance. We have scavenged plenty of food and water, as well as ammunition and other various items to help you all in your time of need."

He frowned. "You said help wasn't coming anytime soon. What did you mean by that?" He said. "Surely, there are more of you people out there still searching for survivors."

"I'll explain everything soon, but first I need you to answer a question of mine." She said. "There was a little girl being chased by those two biters back there. Where is she?"

"She's safe, I left her bac-"

A gun cocked behind her and she slowly wheeled around, raising her hands into the air. "I think it might be wise for you to fill us in on what's going on around here." He warned.

"You do one good deed Evans, and this is what you get in return." She muttered to herself. "Jackson is never going to let me hear the end of this."


	3. Welcome To The Group

**A/N: Thanks to Leyshla Gisel for reviewing and to those who added Bleak to their favorites/follows. ****Don't forget to leave comments. This is my hobby, but if not enough people like this than I'll think of something else to do in my free time. Good or bad, doesn't matter. So please make my day and drop a comment so I can continue. **

**Chapter 3: Welcome to the Group**

**~RECAP~**

A gun cocked behind her and she slowly wheeled around, raising her hands into the air. "I think it might be wise for you to fill us in on what's going on around here." He warned.

"You do one good deed Evans, and this is what you get in return." She muttered to herself. "Jackson is never going to let me hear the end of this."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Shane, put the gun down." Rick ordered. "She's a friendly. She's offered to help us."

Kendall tried to think a way out of this situation, playing various strategies through her mind. The man standing in front of her seemed like he had a screw loose and she figured he wouldn't listen to a word she had to say. Same applied to the redneck standing beside to her pointing a crossbow in her direction. Then there was the Asian boy standing a few feet away, cautious.

"Look, this is just a big misunderstanding." She said calmly. "I just want to help. I'm not here to cause any problems for you and your people. So please, put down your weapons."

"You got some balls for someone who's gotta gun and crossbow pointed to her head." The man beside her said.

"Both of you put your weapons down!" Rick hissed. "What did I tell you, we don't kill the living?"

"These people slaughtered the innocent, killed the living. They lined up patients one by one against the hospital wall and showered them with bullets." Shane snarled.

"We would never kill the-"

The man beside her kicked her in the back of the leg, causing her to fall down onto her knees. "Shut the hell up." He said.

"I saw you, don't deny it." Shane growled, placing the barrel of the gun to her forehead.

"I fucking suggest you remove your gun away from my partner you son of a bitch." Kendall's eyes darted in the direction of the familiar voice. It was Jackson. Though in her situation she would have been ecstatic to see him but things had just gotten far much worse. He had a knife at the Asian boy's throat, holding one of their own hostage.

They wheeled around and pointed their weapons at Jackson and the boy's direction. "Wait, please." Kendall pleaded with the men and tried to stand up but the man beside her pushed her back down. "Get out of here, Jackson," She said. "I can handle this."

"Yes, I can see you're right on top of things," Jackson said, as his blade dug deeper into the boy's throat. "I don't want to hurt him, but I will if I have to. Now let her go."

"All of you put down your weapons," Rick ordered again. "No one needs to get hurt."

"They're the bad guys Rick, why can't you see that?" Shane asked.

"They were infected," Kendall spoke quietly

"Stop talking to them," Jackson barked. "Move away from then, now."

"You're not helping, Jackson, They have a right to know." Kendall said, turning her attention back to Shane. "During Evac our orders were made specifically clear. Any civilian who had bite marks, or scratches or even had the slightest fever, called for immediate termination. I know it sounds inhuman, but we had to follow protocol. We had to protect those who were not yet infected to prevent any further outbreak."

"And where are the rest of y'all?" The man beside her asked.

"Their gone, just left us here to rot with the rest of you. We've sent several distress calls, but not one rescue team showed up. We've checked several military bases, but they've all been overrun by biters or walkers as you all call them." She said. "We can help you. We can work together to survive, to take back what's rightfully ours and to figure out what the hell is going on around here."

"We can't trust anybody." Shane said. "You two might take us all out."

"But we won't," Kendall said. "What can I do to convince you of that?"

"Don't convince them," Jackson said. "Move away, now!"

"Quiet, Jackson." Kendall said. "I swear to you that I will not harm any of you or any other member of your group, and neither will my partner. I will do whatever it takes to make you see that as long as no harm comes to my partner and me. So tell me now, before things get ugly-what is it you want?"

"You said you've scavenged food and ammunition?" Rick spoke up."We're desperate, we have nothing left."

"Don't do it Evans!" Jackson shouted.

She nodded understanding their situation. "Done," Kendall said. "There's a blue Chevy Silverado a few miles down from where you'll parked. In the bed of the truck, you will find plenty of food, supplies and ammunition to last your group a month. Jackson and I go on scavenges for supplies as often as we can, we could be great assets to your group and provide you with more protection for the rest of your people."

"Don't do this, Evans." Jackson pleaded.

She thought it over for a moment, and then shook her head. "Stand down, Jackson." She said. "They're just like us. They're just doing what they can to survive."

Jackson scoffed and removed the blade from the boy's throat then pushed him away from him before shooting Kendall a chiding look. "You better know what the hell you're doing Kendall."

"Daryl, keep an eye on these two. Make sure they don't do anything they might regret later." Shane ordered and grabbed Rick by the arm, dragging him into the depths of the forest. "What the hell do you think you're doing Rick? We can't trust these people. Think about it, what if they kill Lori or Carl, and then what?"

"We can, and we will." Rick replied. "She took out two walkers in a matter of seconds, she saved my life. She didn't have to, but she did. Besides, they have food and ammunition. We need all the help we can get,"

Shane his hands through his hair and pointed an angry finger at him. "If they kill any member of our group, their blood is on your hands, not mine, yours."

Rick nodded and they walked back to the others. He signaled the man next to her to lower his weapon and held out a hand to Kendall which she gratefully took and she helped her up. "Thank you," He said. "We'll gladly accept your offer."

Kendall nodded and shook his hand to the agreement. "This is bullshit." Daryl muttered, before turning to leave.

Choosing to ignore his complaint in hopes of not causing anymore problems for them, she watched him leave through the woods. It might take some time, but she'd hope they would warm up to her and Jackson. She turned back to Rick.

"The little girl, where did you say she was?"

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"You sure it was this spot?" Daryl asked.

"I left her right here," Rick said. I drifted the walker's way off in that direction, and up the creek. I told her go that way, and keep the sun on her left shoulder."

"She had a close call with two walkers. You got to wonder how much of what you said stuck." Shane said.

"I passed by in this direction. There was no sign of her. Perhaps she heard my footsteps and stayed hidden a while longer until I passed by, then wondered off." Kendall said.

"Hey short round, would you step off to one side, you're markin' up the trails." Daryl said. Glenn as he called himself complied and moved to the side. "There're clear prints right here, she did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out."

Thanks to Daryl he was quickly able to track Sophia's trail but to our avail she veered off in another direction. Rick decided it would be wise for a few of us to head back to the interstate to reassure the others that we're trying everything we can to find Sophia, so they wouldn't panic.

Much to Jackson's dismay he went back with Shane and Glenn while Rick, Daryl and Kendall proceeded in the search. "It looks like the tracks end right about here." Kendall said.

Daryl crouched down and took a closer look. "No, their faint but they ain't gone." He said pointing at the trail. "She came through here."

"How can you tell?" Rick asked. "I can't see anything, nothing but dirt and grass."

"You want a lesson in tracking or you want to find that little girl and get our ass back on that interstate?" He replied.

Kendall couldn't help but smile at his smart ass remark, but the smile was quickly replaced when the three of them heard a twig snap and some rustling not too far from them. They quickly crouched down and got into lethal mode as they pursued into the direction of the noise. From above they saw a walker wondering around. Daryl signaled Kendall to be the distraction while he took him out from behind. Nodding, Kendall ran towards the walker and whistled.

The walker turn towards Kendall, letting out a loud growl as it moved towards her. Daryl pointed his crossbow directly at the walker's skull and took him out. Kendall trotted towards the walker and removed the arrow from its skull, handing it back Daryl. "Sophia!" Daryl called.

She didn't come. Rick pulled out a pair of gloves from his back pocket and crouched down to the walker. "What do you think you're doing?" Kendall shrieked.

"Checking for skin under his fingernails," He replied and then turned the walker over onto his back and opened its mouth. "There's flesh in between his teeth."

"Yeah, but what kinda flesh." Daryl asked.

"Only one way to know for sure," Rick said pulling out a knife.

Daryl stopped him from going any further and pulled a knife of his own. "Here, let me do it." He said. "Mine's sharper."

Kendall watched in disgust as they cut the walker open. The stench the walker omitted was overwhelming. It was so strong it blasted through her sense of smell and filled the others. She could taste it, see it, and hear it. When she took a step, she felt it pushing back against her.

"This gross bastard has himself a woodchuck for lunch." Daryl said examining the carcass.

"At least we know." Rick said. "We should head back to the highway before it gets dark. Everyone will start to worry."

"I agree," Kendall said. "But how do we explain to the mother that we couldn't locate Sophia? She'll panic."

Rick placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Leave it to me, I'll do the talking."

Kendall nodded wearily and followed their lead. She stopped briefly and took one more glance behind her. Sophia was out there, alone and afraid. Kendall snapped out of her train of thought when she heard Daryl's voice. "Yo tyro, quit dawdling around. You're burning up the daylight."

Kendall smiled to herself and hurried over to them. "You know, since we're all working together and all. Might be nice for us to be on a first name basis, what do you think?"

"Whatever."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

The moment Kendall dreaded finally approached. Since they left the forest all she could imagine was the look on the mother's face. No amount of reassurance would make it okay. As they reached the highway Jackson ran over to Kendall and helped her over the guardrail and checked her over. "You okay?" He whispered. Kendall patted him on the chest and nodded her head, reassuring him that everything was alright.

"And you?" She asked. "It seems like you held up your end pretty well, I'm proud of you."

"I suppose I did. Despite being interrogated, watched like a hawk and being showered with glares." He muttered. Kendall smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"What was that for?" He asked.

Kendall shrugged. "Ah, well you know. For everything you've done for me lately and for saving my hide back there, even though you did nearly get us killed."

"What, I didn't-"

"You didn't find her?" The mother asked Rick.

Kendall and Jackson turned their attention back to the grieving mother and took a few steps towards the group. She didn't want to head back out into the forest and risk being attack by one of those things. She knew Rick had a good head on his shoulders, and wasn't willing to risk any member of his going out there in the dark either. But she had a feeling the mother wasn't going to accept that. And she couldn't blame her. It was her daughter.

"The trail went cold." He replied. "We'll pick it up at first light."

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own, to spend the night alone in the woods." She said.

"Out in the dark is no good," Daryl said. "We'll just be trippin' over ourselves, more people would get lost."

"She's twelve. She can't be out there on her own." She said. "You didn't find anything?"

"I know this is hard, but I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there." Rick said.

"We tracked her for a while." Daryl said.

"We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this." Rick said.

"I-Is that blood?" She stammered.

"We took down a walker," Kendall stepped in. "There was no sign it was anywhere around your daughter,"

"How could you even know that?" The blonde woman asked.

Kendall glanced over to Daryl. "We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl said.

"How could you just leave her out there to begin with?" She said. "How could you just leave her?"

Rick got on his knees in front of the grieving woman. "Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off, it was her best chance."

"He didn't have a choice Carol." Shane defended.

"It was my only option Carol, the only choice I could make." Rick said.

"How is she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child." Carol cried then turned to Kendall and Jackson. "And you two, you both should be out there searching for her. That's what you're trained to do, isn't that why you're here?"

"And risk me and my partner getting bit out in the woods? You must be out of your damn mind lady." Jackson said. "We'll pick up where we left off first thing in morning just like Rick said. We'll have a better chance of finding her when there's daylight."

Carol slowly sat down on the guardrail and sobbed. "My little girl got left in the woods." She cried. The other women walked to her side and comforted her in her time of need. There was no amount of words that I could say to reassure her that her daughter was alright. For all we knew, her daughter could've been dead.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"You sure did a number on your arm," Kendall said as she slowly poured antiseptic on T-Dog's gash located on his forearm. "From the looks of it, you probably cut your radial or your ulnar artery."

"You a doctor in the military or something?" He asked curiously.

She laughed softly and shook her head. "No," She said. "My mother was though, but not for any military branch. She would always tell me I needed to learn this stuff just in case it ever came in handy. She was right. I finally got to put her teachings to use for once."

"Did she manage to get out in time?" He asked.

Kendall shook her head. "No." She whispered. "During evac she decided to stay behind and help evacuate the sick and disabled. My mother was a kind hearted woman, she loved her patients dearly. The hospital became overrun with walkers and that's the last I heard from her."

"Your mother was a brave woman, a hero." He said.

Kendall smiled sadly. "Yeah she was," She said, cutting the suture thread. "That should do it. Make sure to change the bandage regularly to keep the wound from getting infected. Though, it would be wise to start you on an antibiotic, just in case of sepsis. I'll see what I have in my bag, I'm pretty sure I have something that could help."

"Thank you." He said gratefully.

She nodded and placed her medical supplies back in the back before stepping out of the RV. She noticed some of the others were huddled in a group discussing their next step in the search for Sophia, though she grew concerned when she didn't see Jackson around. She climbed up the ladder and saw Dale keeping watch in case they were going to run into another herd. "Dale, have you seen Jackson anywhere?"

He shook his head. "No, last I checked he was with the rest of the group." He said. "I wouldn't worry though. He probably went inside to use the restroom."

Kendall bit her lip. "No, I was in the RV the whole time. Not once did he step foot in there." She said worriedly. "It's not like him to wonder off without giving me a heads up."

Kendall jumped off the ladder and headed for the truck. Maybe he went to grab some supplies for the group. "I wouldn't wonder off to far if I were you." Dale advised.

She held up a hand and waved him off. "I'll be fine Dale, just going to the truck." She said. "It's not too far from here. Advise the others where I'm heading. I need to grab some supplies from the truck."

Luckily the truck wasn't too far from where everyone was stationed. During the search for Sophia, Jackson managed to move the truck as close as he could until we were able to move the cars aside so he could maneuver through. Kendall could see the truck ahead of her and yet there was still no sign of Jackson anywhere, She was beginning to worry and began to quickly gather the supplies she needed and inform the others of Jackson's disappearance.

As she grabbed her bag from the back seat a pill bottle managed to slip out of the bag and roll under the truck. "Shit!" She hissed. Taking a look once more of her surrounds she got down on her knees and tried reaching for the bottle, only for it to roll further away from her. "Oh, come on." Rolling her eyes she laid flat on her stomach and crawled under the truck.

Once she obtained the bottle she felt someone grab her leg and quickly pull her out from under the truck. Before she could even manage to let out a scream, a hand found its way over her mouth, silencing her screams while the other pinned her hands above her head.

She exhaled deeply through her nostrils as she realized she wasn't being attack by a walker, just Jackson. "How many times do I have to tell you to not wonder off on your own?" He spoke quietly. "It could've been a biter attacking you just now."

He slowly released his hands from their positions and held out a hand to help her up. Kendall glared daggers at him and slapped his hand away from her. She quickly scrambled to her feet and slapped him across the face. "Ow, what the hell was that for?" He whined, softly running his hand on his cheek.

"For scaring me half to death you asshole," She growled angrily. "I thought something had happened to you."

"I was taking a leak a few cars down from where you were attending to T-Dog" He defended. "You didn't have to slap me."She ran a hand down her face and grabbed her bag off the ground, throwing the medication bottle inside. Jackson gently grabbed the bag from her hand and dropped it to the ground. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice brimming with sincerity as he wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace, holding her close. "I didn't mean to…I didn't think…"

"I'm sorry I slapped you." She said.

Jackson pulled away to look down at her. She looked so small and frail despite the fact that she was quite a formidable soldier. He leaned down and kissed her softly, tenderly and lovingly. She tangled her hands in the back of his hair, pulling him closer. He traced his tongue on the bottom of her lips and kissed her deeply. Taking hold of her hips he lifted her up and pressed her back against the truck, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively.

"I want you." She said breathlessly. Her voice was strained and pleading and her eyes were begging him to grant her request, but the man in front of her only smirked.

Kendall and Jackson heard a polite throat clearing beside them and turned to see that Daryl had materialized there. "Rick asked me to come check on you two, but I can see y'all are holding up just fine."

Kendall flushed and removed her legs from Jackson's waist. She quickly picked her bag off the ground and darted back to the others. Jackson turned to Daryl and gaped. "Dude...what…the…fuck?" He complained.

Daryl smirked and turned to follow Kendall's lead. "Just followin' orders,"

Jackson stood there a moment longer, trying to comprehend what had just happened. His shoulders slumped as he slowly walked back to the group. "Fucking cock blocker." He muttered.


	4. Searching For Sophia

**A/N: Thanks to those who favorite/followed! Please, please don't forget to drop a comment people. I hate to beg, but it feels like people don't read this. I promise, there will be more Daryl and Kendall. It's just starting off slow at the moment. ^^ So anxious to see Sunday's new episode, I wonder what Daryl will end up doing! Crazy! I hate the Governor! . Glenn! **

**Chapter 4: Searching for Sophia. **

It was day two in the search for Sophia and everyone was gearing up for a long day in the woods. Jackson tossed Kendall a pair of tactical gloves while he filled his vest pockets with essentials. Kendall on the other hand was already geared up and ready to go before sunrise. She used what free time she had left to check their inventory on ammunition as well as cleaning their weapons to make sure they functioned to their fullest potential.

Rick motioned the two to come over and join their group for briefing. He unrolled the arsenal of knifes Carl found by savaging through cars the day before. Kendall smiled down at Carl and ruffled his hair before turning her full attention over to Rick.

"Everybody takes a weapon" Rick said.

"These aren't the kinds of weapons we need." Andrea said. "What about the guns?"

Kendall mentally groaned at Andrea's complaint and she knew Jackson was most likely doing the same thing at the moment. Last night, Rick and Shane specifically explained why certain members of the group were only allowed to carry firearms. Apparently she wasn't satisfied with their decision.

"Haven't we been over that?" Shane said annoyed. "Daryl, Rick, the two Mp's and I are carrying. We can't have people poppin' off rounds every time a tree rustles."

"It's not the trees I'm worried about." Andrea retorted.

"Say someone fires at the wrong moment and a herd just happens to be passing by, see then its game over for all of us."Shane said. "So you need to get over it."

Andrea scoffed before grabbing a knife and picked up her bag off the ground. "The idea is to take the creek up about five miles and turn around and come back down the other side." Daryl explained. Chances are she'll be by the creek. That's her only landmark.

"Stay quiet, stay sharp." Rick said. "Keep space between you, but always stay in sight of each other."

They all nodded in confirmation and headed out for their search for Sophia once again, leaving Dale and T-Dog to keep watch. Kendall just hoped by some miracle they would find her so they could move on.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"We're just wasting our time. The kid is most likely dead." Jackson whispered to Kendall.

"Geez, Jackson. Would it hurt you to be a little more considerate?" Kendall hissed. "It's a child for Pete's sake. You didn't hesitate for a moment when it came to Riley."

"That was different. She was your kid." He replied. "I wasn't about to turn my back on you. We're a team, we stick together."

Kendall looked up Jackson and glared. "Exactly, we are a team. This is our team. And a member from our team is missing her child." She said. "You should heed your own advice sometimes Jackson. You can be a wise man when you want to be, but brainless when it comes to other people's needs."

Jackson scoffed and slowed his pace down enough for everyone to move ahead of him. Kendall knew he wouldn't stay mad for long, especially at her. With bigger fish to fry, she pressed onward. Kendall could see a tent ahead of her. Rick signaled everyone to stop. Kendall pulled her machete from its sheath, ready to take out anything that approached them in a deadly manner.

"She could be in there?" Shane said.

"There could be a bunch of things in there." Daryl said, cautiously approaching the tent.

Kendall signaled Jackson to stay with the rest of the group and moved with the others. Daryl signaled the three to stay where they were as he approached the tent by himself. Kendall didn't like it, but she knew from studying him the day before that he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

Slowly and quietly he moved to the side of the tent and peeked through an opening. He shrugged his arms and Rick called Carol over. Kendall's heart was racing, in fear and for excitement. Sophia could be in there and she would finally be reunited with her mother once again.

"Sophia, sweetie, are you in there?" She said, her voice quivering. "Sophia its mommy, we're all here baby,"

Kendall watched as Rick and Shane walked over to Daryl as he slowly unzipped the tent and walked in. Kendall could smell it from where she was standing and went pale at the stench irradiating from the inside.

"Daryl?" Carol said, taking a step forward.

"It ain't her." He said, as he stepped out from the tent.

"What's in there?" Kendall asked as she was eager to know what was in the inside.

"Some guy," He replied. "Chose to opt it out,"

Kendall froze in placed as she heard church bells echoing out in the distance. She closed her eyes, trying to pin point the direction they were coming from. "It's coming from this direction." Kendall said as she darted towards the source of the noise. She ran. The branches tore at her arms, the jagged rocks dug into her feet. She stopped briefly for a moment to catch her breath. A church, that's what she led them to.

"That can't be it." Shane said. "It's got no steeple, no bells."

Kendall ignored him and followed quickly behind Rick who took off mere seconds before her.

"Rick!" Shane called.

"Kendall!" Jackson called.

They ran, ran as fast as their legs would carry them as they ran towards the church. They stopped on a flight of steps leading to the entrance of the church. Rick slowly opened the door where three walkers were sitting on the pews. Kendall immediately grabbed her cross necklace from around her neck and took a step back. "Daryl…I-I can't do it." She quivered. "Not in here, not in front of him."

Daryl scoffed and rolled his eyes, grabbing the machete from Kendall's shaky hand and handed over his crossbow to her for a moment so he could attend to one of the walkers. Not a moment later Jackson arms were around her, caging her to his chest. "Where's your god now?" He whispered

"Sophia!" Rick shouted.

"Yo, J.C., you taking any requests?" Daryl said.

"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church." Shane said. "There's no steeple."

Soon afterwards the bells sounded once again. Everyone rushed outside only to find that the bells ran only on a timer. They were back to square one. Everyone was disappointed. Some walked around outside and others went inside to pray. After hearing Carol's heartbreaking prayer for forgiveness and everyone decided to head back outside to discuss their next step, Kendall decided to step up and say a pray of her own.

Kendall wondered how long it had been since she stepped foot inside a church. She sat there for a few minutes contemplating how she should start. She didn't even know why she still believed in the lord. She'd constantly blamed him for taking everything that was precious to her. Would he forgive her for thinking such thoughts? Would he even listen to a word she had to say? Kendall sighed deeply, swiping the tears that feel down her cheeks and got into kneeling position.

"Father in heaven, I thank thee, for giving us another day to live." She began. "And for leading Jackson and I to these great people who've welcomed us with open arms. But frankly I've been starting to question my faith. Are we being punished? Did we do something so awful that you had to throw us into hell with these demons? Every day is a constant struggle and we live in fear everyday wondering if we are going to live to see tomorrow. Please help us. I beg of you. Give me a sign, tell me what I should do to makes things right again. You at least owe me that, don't you think? In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

"Got a little selfish there towards the end, don't ya think?" Kendall's head snapped to the left as her body slightly turned to see the person who was standing behind her. Daryl was leaning against the wall next to the exit and walked over to Kendall. "You're just wasting your time with that nonsense." Daryl said.

Kendall smiled weakly. She stood up from her kneeling on the floor and shrugged. "Maybe so, but I can at least hope, can't I?"

Daryl scoffed and headed back towards the others. "We're heading back up the creek. Rick and Shane are staying behind to search this area for another hour." He said. "We should get going."

Kendall was taken back. They were splitting the group? It wasn't that she couldn't help protect the others if needed to be, but she didn't think it was the wisest decision. "R-Right."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"So, tell us about yourselves." Lori asked as they slowly trotted up the trail. "Where did you two come from?"

"Texas," Jackson replied. "We were recently stationed out in Afghanistan a few months prior to the evac."

"So you two have no idea what's going around here, do you?" Andrea asked.

"Your guess it as good as ours." Kendall said. "We weren't given much detail as to what triggered the outbreak. All we were told was to evacuate as many people as possible and escort them to safety. Things spiraled out of control and before we knew it we were overrun with the infected,"

"Rick had mentioned the others left you two behind, why?" Glenn asked.

"After we managed to clear out our part, we ran into a bit of a dilemma." Jackson said. "Apparently a certain part of the city wasn't called for evac due to the amount of infected roaming the area. So, Evans and I took it upon ourselves to retrieve as many civilians as possible. They gave us two hours to get in and get out, but when we returned they had already retreated."

"So what happened to the others you managed to save?" Lori asked.

Kendall shook her head. "There were no known survivors remaining." She spoke quietly. "They were all either, bit, scratched or had already managed to go through the reanimation process."

"And what of your families?" Andrea asked.

Kendall flinched and her hands tightened around her rifle. Jackson looked down at her and sighed. "I think that's enough questions for one day, don't you think?" Jackson said. "We should focus on the task at hand. We don't know if any biters are lurking around. One slip up and it could all be over."

"Couldn't had said it better myself." Daryl muttered,

Kendall felt as though someone had been putting rocks in her backpack. Which was odd, because she'd spent most of the search back at the end of the line. And there was rarely anyone behind her to play such a cruel trick on her. But the pack that had seemed so light and perfectly balanced only a few hours earlier now felt like an anvil. Kendall could feel it pulling her down, its straps abrading her shoulders through the lightweight vest she was wearing.

Looking ahead at the group spread out in front of her, Kendall could see that most of them were suffering the same kind of pain. Daryl, who was ordered to take lead, was still in front, but his long, confident stride had stiffened into an awkward, straight-legged march. Glenn's entire body seemed to convulse with every third step and would constantly turn around to make sure he wasn't falling behind the rest of the pack.

The girls looked like they completely exhausted their store of pixie dust: They staggered forward as if the only thing keeping them going was the force of gravity. And then there was Jackson, which remotely didn't come as a huge shock to her, since he'd spend huge amounts of time working out. He wasn't physically exhausted at all. His feet pushed hard off the ground with every step.

"So this is it, this the whole plan?" Carol said as she took a moments rest on a log.

Daryl sighed. "I guess this plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups."

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks," Andrea said sarcastically and eyed Lori. "I see you have a gun."

"Why, you want it?" Lori asked, handing her the gun. "Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me. All of you." Lori took a seat next to Carol and looked at her. "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you have _got_ to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face _every_ time you look at him. When Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did, or made the hard decisions he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently. Y'all look at him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you."

Everyone is the group remained silent at Lori' words. Kendall agreed with every word she had to say. She saw the looks they gave Rick. The looks of disgust and anger every time he walked by. Hell, some of the group even scorned her and Jackson with the same looks. But they could give a shit less what everyone thought of them. But that wasn't the point. The point was that Rick was trying to do the best he could to find Sophia, to keep the group together no matter what. It was getting the others to see what he was doing. Kendall stepped in front of Lori and removed a pistol from her thigh holster and held it out to her. "Here, take it." Kendall insisted. "I have two more on me. Keep it."

Before Lori could take the weapon from Kendall's hand, Andrea stepped in and returned the weapon she took from Lori. "We should keep moving." Andrea said. Everyone nodded and continued back down the trail. Jackson patted Kendall on the shoulder and stalked ahead of the group. They walked a few more paces in silence until a single gunshot echoed throughout the woods, halting everyone's steps.

"Rick." Lori whispered.

Kendall put a hand on Lori's shoulder and ushered her to keep moving with the rest of the group. "They'll be fine." Kendall reassured. "But we have to continue to move."

Lori nodded wearily. "Okay." She whispered. "I just hope their okay.

**A/N: Finally I get to start writing the next chapter with a little Daryl and Kendall alone time! Please don't forget to leave a comment.**


	5. Kendall's Story

A/N: Totally spoiling you guys this week. Thanks Leyshla Gisel and FanFicGirl10 for reviewing and for those who favorite/followed. It really does mean a lot to me. Leyshla, I love Jackson as well, but I love Daryl more. Especially after he held 'ass kicker' aka Judith. Lol. FanFicGirl, He does kind of remind me of Shane. As for them loving each other it will be explained very soon. Surprises will be in store. So keep on reading. This is a long chapter, I mean long. So hopefully it's to your liking. Kendall's past will now be revealed.

O.o Holy mother of…Daryl! I hoped everyone watched Sunday's new episode! Now we have to wait till February to see what happens! He'll live though, I know it! He better!

**Chapter 5: Kendall's Story**

"You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked.

The group stopped once again and turned to Lori. Since she heard the single gunshot she'd been constantly worried about the others. Kendall couldn't blame her for worrying about Rick and Carl. Though it did strike Kendall as odd, why only one gunshot? Why risk other walkers hearing it and putting the rest of them in danger. It didn't make sense.

"Yeah, it was a gunshot." Lori replied.

"We all heard it." Daryl said.

"Why one?" Lori asked. "Why just one gunshot?"

"Maybe they took down a walker." Daryl said.

"Please don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker, or Shane. They'd do it quietly. " Lori said.

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asked.

"There's nothing we could do about it anyway." Daryl said. "Can't run around these woods chasing echoes."

"So what do we do?" Lori asked.

"Same as we've been." Daryl said. "Beat the bush for Sophia, work out way back to the highway."

"I'm sure they'll meet up with us back at the R.V." Kendall said.

Everyone continued to move forward, but Kendall noticed most of them stop when they heard Andrea talking to Carol. "I'm sorry for what you're going through." Andrea told Carol. "I know how you feel."

"I suppose you do, thank you." Carol replied. "The thought of her out here by herself…it's the not knowing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she don't wind up like Amy."

Andrea's face dropped, she was at a loss for words. Carol gasped and placed her hands on Andrea's shoulders. "Oh god." Carol said. "That's the worst thing I ever said."

Andrea shook her head. "We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth."

"I'll tell you what its worth." Daryl said as he took a few steps towards Andrea and Carol. "Not a damn thing. It's a waste of time all this hoping and praying. 'cause we're gonna locate that little girl, she's gonna be just fine. Am I the only one Zen around here? Good lord." Kendall forced herself to suppress a grin and continued walking back down the trail.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Guys," Jackson said. "We don't have many hours before it gets dark. I think we should call it, what do you think?"

"Let's head back." Daryl agreed. "We'll pick up again tomorrow."

"I agree." Kendall said, "We'll find her tomorrow." Daryl whistled at the group and motioned them to continue following his lead back to the highway.

"How much farther?" Lori asked.

"Not much," Daryl replied. "Maybe a hundred yards as the crow flies."

"Too bad we're not crows," Andrea groaned slowly drifting away from the group.

Kendall felt a cold jolt of adrenaline surge through her system. At first she assumed it was from the awareness of the possible danger they were in. But she realized her body was responding to a sound her conscious mind hadn't noticed.

"What was that?" Jacksons said as the sound came again.

It took Kendall a second to recognize the noise that came drifting behind them. At first she tried to figure out what kind of animal or bird made a sound like that. Then it hit her. It wasn't an animal. It was a woman. And she was screaming.

"Andrea!" Lori shouted.

Before her pack hit the dirt, Kendall had launched herself towards the source of the scream. Freed from the weight she'd been carrying for hours, Kendall practically flew. She could feel herself hurtling into the air with every step. She realized this was incredibly dangerous-she had no idea what she was jumping into. But she recognized the voice that was screaming. And she had to help.

Jackson was right next to Kendall as they hurtled towards the scream. When they located Andrea, they both stopped dead, shocked at what lay before them. The sight that stopped Kendall and Jackson was a young woman riding on a horse with a baseball bat and striked the walker across the head, instantly dropping him to the ground.

"Lori?" The mysterious young woman asked Andrea. "Lori Grimes?"

"That's Lori right there." Kendall said pointing over to Lori. "What happened?"

"Rick sent me. You've got to come now." She ordered to Lori.

"What?" Lori asked confused.

"There's been an accident, Carl's been shot He's still alive, but you've got to come now." She said quickly. Lori stood there in shock. "Rick needs you. Just come."

Lori quickly took off her backpack and handed it to Kendall. "Whoa Whoa Whoa," Daryl said. "We don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse!"

"Rick said you had others on the highway? That big traffic snarl?" She said.

"Uh-huh." Glenn said.

"Backtrack to Fairburn Road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox. The name is Greene." She said and turned the horse around, and sped further into the woods. They heard wheezing emitting from the walker she just took down, and slowly he began to sit up. Daryl frowned and shot an arrow into his skull. "Shut up." He growled.

Kendall sighed and pulled the arrow from the walker's skull while Daryl fumed back to the highway. No one wasted anytime rushing back and they could finally see the highway ahead of them. "Carl's been shot." Glenn panted, climbing over the guardrail.

"Shot?" Dale asked in disbelief. "What do you mean shot?

"I don't know Dale." Glenn said. "I wasn't there. All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori."

"You let her?" Dale said to Daryl.

"Climb down out of my asshole, man." Daryl said, ripping the arrow out of Kendall's hands. "Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's."

"I heard screams, was that you?" Dale asked Andrea.

"She got attacked by a walker." Kendall said. "It was a close call."

"Andrea, are you alright? Dale asked.

Andrea stopped by the R.V. door and looked over to Dale. She shook her head and gave a cold glare before heading inside, slamming the door behind her.

"So what's the plan?" Kendall asked. "We're regrouping with the others right? Carl's been shot, they're going to need medical supplies."

"I agree," Daryl said. "We should head to where the others are."

"I won't do it." Carol disagreed. "We can't just leave."

"Carol, the group is split." Dale said. "We're scattered and weak."

"What if she comes back and we're not here?" Carol said. "It could happen."

"If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful." Andrea said.

"Okay." Daryl said. "We got to plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. "I'll hold here tonight, stay with the R.V."

"If the R.V. is staying, I am too." Dale said.

"Thank you," Carol said gratefully. "Thank you both."

"I'm in." Andrea said.

Kendall glanced up at Jackson who nodded. "Looks like we're in too,"

"We'll, if you're all staying then I'm-"

"Not you, Glenn. You're going" Dale said. "Take Carol's Cherokee."

"Me?" Glenn asked. "Why is it always me?"

"Because, you have to find this farm and regroup with others and see what's going on." Kendall said and unfastened the straps to her backpack, tossing it over to Glenn. "But more importantly I need you to deliver what medical supplies I have over to Rick. I can't believe it just slipped my mind, I should have handed this over to Lori. If Rick needs me and Jackson to make a run, we'll be more than willing to go."

Glenn sighed heavily and took the pack from Kendall's hands and nodded. "Alright, fine. I'll go." He said in defeat.

"I'll go to." T-Dog said. "That way you're not alone."

"Alright, then it's settled. T-Dog and Glenn will head to the farmhouse and the rest of us will shack up here for the night." Kendall said. She kneeled down and lifted her pants leg, revealing a .40 caliber. She pulled the pistol from its holster and handed it to T-Dog. "Take it just in case. You won't know what you'll be walking into. She's fully loaded and ready to go."

"Thanks." He said

"What're we standing around for, let's get to work." Daryl said.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall, Jackson and Dale took the first shift while the others rested in the R.V. Kendall stared blankly at the paved road as she heard Carol's sobs from the inside. Suddenly the door to the R.V. opened and Daryl stepped out.

"Couldn't sleep?" Kendall mused.

"No, not with that woman crying the whole damn time," Daryl replied. "I'm going for a walk. Shine some light in the forest. Is she's out there, give her something to look at."

"Then I'll go with you." Kendall said.

"You must be out of your damn mind if you think I'm going to let you go out there in the middle of the night." Jackson said.

Kendall stared at Jackson as if she didn't hear him correctly. "You do understand there is a child out there, right?"

"I understand that," Jackson said. "Now you've got to ask yourself what's more important: that this child be found and reunited with her mother or that you're the one who does it and risk yourself getting attacked by one of those things. You're taking this search to personal Kendall."

This was so outrages that Kendall bolted up from her chair and thrusted her face right into Jackson's. "Personal!"

"You heard me." Jackson said. "You think finding Sophia will make things right again. Well let me tell you something babe, Riley is not coming back, so you need to move on."

"Don't you fucking dare bring Riley into this," Kendall snarled, slamming him back against the R.V. "We've been searching a little over two days now and you've done nothing but bitch and whine. If you don't like it, then get the hell out of here, no one is stopping you."

"Not without you." Jackson said.

"I'm not going anywhere. My place is here, with them." Kendall replied quickly. "Now, I'm going to go with Daryl to search for Sophia. You're going to stay here with Dale, Carol and Andrea. And if you decide that you want to leave and you're not here by the time I come back, just know that I appreciate everything that you've done for me these past fourteen years. I'm grateful to you."Kendall released her grip on Jackson and grabbed her rifle and flashlight off the hood of the car. "Let's go Daryl." She said,

Kendall and Daryl walked in silence as they searched the woods for Sophia. Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably less than two minutes, Daryl decided to break the silence. "Y'all two bicker like y'all are a married couple."

Kendall chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you can say that." She said. "Jackson can be a real asshole sometimes, but he means well."

"Your husband know you two are fuckin' each other?" Daryl nodded towards the wedding band on Kendall's ring finger.

Kendall fiddled with the wedding band and smiled at Daryl. "I'm pretty sure he won't mind since he's no longer around to say anything." She said softly.

"Sorry." He muttered.

Kendall shook her head. "It's fine." She said. "I don't even know why I still bother wearing it. Till' death do us part, right?"

"Maybe to remind yourself that in one point in time it was real." Daryl said.

Kendall laughed softly, "So you do have a soft side?" Kendall said. "Or you wouldn't be trying to cheer me up just now."

Daryl scoffed. "Please, I could give a rat's ass about your feelings lady." He said. "I just don't want any more water works goin' on around here."

Kendall rolled her eyes. "Whatever, you can deny it all you want but I know deep down inside you there's a totally different person in there trying to break free." She said. "And I can't wait for the day when I prove myself right. Hell, I can prove it right now."

Daryl cocked an eyebrow. "How's that?"

Kendall grinned. "All of this," She said throwing her hands in the air. "Take a good look around you. We're out here, alone, in the middle of the night, in the woods, searching for Sophia. There's danger lurking all around us, and you didn't hesitate for a moment to risk your life and go out here to search for the little girl who lost her mother. You can kid yourself all you want, but I know you're a good man. I've only known you a couple days, but that's what I see and believe."

Daryl opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut. He didn't have any strength left for arguing. He barely had enough strength left at all. It wasn't just the fact that they'd been up for more than twenty-four hours that had sucked all the energy out of him. What had worn Daryl out so completely was his sense of utter failure. Rick and the others reached out to him, reached out to the only person they had thought could help them. And he refused to give up.

"Whatever," He said.

Kendall eyed him suspiciously. "You okay? You're making this too easy." She said. "Maybe you should rest for a bit?"

"I'm fine," He snarled. "We should keep moving."

Kendall pursed her lips and followed after him, but continued you to make small talk. "So, where did you reside in before you grouped up with the others?"

Daryl sighed. "You're not going to shut up are you?" Daryl said annoyed.

Kendall smiled. "Nope,"

"I lived with my brother up in North Georgia." He replied quickly. Daryl risked another glance at the woman walking beside him and this time he found exactly what he most feared: Kendall was giving him a look filled with sympathy.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. "What was his name?"

"Meryl's not dead if that's what you're thinking, or I at least think he's not." Daryl said. "Before y'all came along Rick handcuffed him on a roof top and T-Dog dropped the key. They returned to camp without him. So we went back, only to find he severed his own hand where he'd been left. "

Kendall grimaced. "How awful," She said. "Sorry to hear that, but on the bright side, he's out there somewhere, searching for you."

Daryl shrugged. "I guess." He said. "Who's Riley?"

Kendall stopped dead in her tracks, causing Daryl to turn around. He studied her carefully. And from the looks of it Kendall was about to burst into tears. Instantly Daryl regretted bringing that up, but since Jackson mentioned the name that struck anger in Kendall's eyes, he was curious to know more about it. "Ya don't have to talk about it if ya don't want to." He said and started back down the trail. "Forget I said anything."

"Riley was my daughter." She whispered. "She was a little older than Carl when she died."

Daryl stopped once again and looked at Kendall. "What happened?" He asked curiously.

Kendall smiled weakly. "Do you have time for a long story?" She asked. Daryl nodded and she leaned against a tree. "Do you remember when Jackson had said there was a certain part of the city that wasn't called for evac?" Daryl nodded once again. "That part of the city was where Riley and Marshall were. I refused to leave without them."

_**~FLASHBACK~**_

"_Where the hell are you going Evans?" Jackson shouted through the commotion. "It's time to leave. This place is crawling with the infected!"_

_Kendall shook her head furiously and shot another infected civilian in the head. "I'm not leaving without my baby and Marshall." She shouted back. "There was no evac team assigned for that part of the city. That's bull shit, they're still alive! "_

"_Evan's I order you to get back in this truck right now!" The second lieutenant commanded. _

"_Sorry sir, but I cannot allow my family to be left behind." Kendall said. "Punish me however you want when I return, but I'm going."_

_Jackson jumped off the back of the truck and turned to their second lieutenant. "Sir, it's her family." Jackson said. "There's a slight possibly there could be survivors in that area, permission to join Evans?"_

"_Are you two insane?" He cried. "The place wasn't called for evac for a reason, its suicide."_

"_I'm aware of that sir." Kendall said. "Please, just hold them off until we return."_

_The second Lieutenant glanced at his watch. "You have two hours to get in and get the hell out." He ordered. "I'm not risking anymore of my team for your benefit. You're on your own. We'll hold them off as long as we can. Now go, you're wasting time!"_

_He didn't have to tell Kendall twice, she darted out of the alley along with Jackson into the panic ridden street. Havoc, that's all that was around them. Burning buildings and cars all around, people were screaming and children were crying for their lost parents and the dead were brought back to life. This was hell they were running in. _

"_How much farther Evans?" Jackson panted, loading another cartridge into his rifle. _

"_About another five miles," Kendall replied, but stopped dead when she noticed a herd of biters trotting in their direction. _

"_We'll be out of ammo at this rate!" Jackson shrieked and looked around at his surroundings. There was an abandoned car a few feet away from them. He grabbed Kendall's hand and ran in the direction of the car, He opened the driver's door and a biter snarled at him. "Shut the fuck up and get out." He growled and shot her in the head, before yanking her out of the car, _

"_We can't get through them all!" Kendall panicked. _

"_You have any grenades on you?" Jackson asked. Kendall fumbled through her bag until she pulled out what they needed. "Use it, now!" _

_Kendall pulled the pin out from the grenade and threw it in the direction of the herd. "Grenade!" She shouted as she and Jackson took cover behind the car. Once the grenade went off she and Jackson peered out from behind the car, Body parts and blood were scattered all around them. But the road was clear enough for them to pass through. _

"_Now that's what I'm talking about!" Jackson cried in excitement as he opened the driver's door. Kendall jumped into the passenger's side and slammed the door shut, biters banging on the window. _

"_Drive, Drive!" She screamed. _

_From where they were ordered to evac the drive usually took fifteen minutes, __twice that at rush hour. But Jackson kept his foot jammed on the gas, blasting through stop signs and red lights, screaming around traffic and the infected civilians. In the passenger seat Kendall desperately dialed and redialed Marshall's number, but every call went direct to voice mail. _

_Jackson took his eyes off the road for one second to sneak a glance at Kendall. His best friend was ashen faced as she listened to her husband's voice on the outgoing message. "Kendall they're okay." Jackson said for what must have been for the hundredth time. _

_Kendall nodded her head and bit her lip. Jackson yanked the wheel hard and felt the car rise up on two wheels as it screamed around the corner. The car slammed back down on all fours and Jackson jammed on the gas pedal even harder. He could see Kendall's house straight ahead. _

_Two more seconds and they were out front. The car screamed to the curb and she and Jackson leapt out, tearing up the walkway to the front door. "Go, I'll cover you." Jackson ordered, shooting several biters that were closing in on them. "I'll join you in just a bit."_

_Kendall nodded and twisted the knob. It was locked. As much as she wanted to kick the door in, she decided against it. She jumped down the porch and dug through the rocks until she found the hidden key. She unlocked the door and slammed it behind her. "Marshall!" She screamed, running down the halls, checking the first floor for sight of them. "Riley!" _

_She muttered a curse and screamed their names once again. She was about to run up the stairs when something caught her eye in the kitchen. She let out a sigh in relief. "Marshall, thank god." She said relieved, but stopped when she noticed something was off. "Marshall?" Her voice quivered. _

_Kendall took a few steps back until her back hit the wall. She quickly pulled her gun from her holster and leveled it at the man she loved dearly. She noticed the chunk of flesh missing from his neck and shoulder as he stalked towards her. Kendall's hands were shaking rapidly and her lip quivered at the thought of putting him down. "Marshall, stop. Don't come any closer." She ordered. He didn't listen. His speed quickened as he thirsted for her flesh. "Dammit Marshall, I'm ordering you to stop where you are!" _

_Tears fell down her face and she clenched her teeth. She tried to pull the trigger, but she just couldn't it. Kendall screamed as he lunged at her, knocking them both down on the floor., her pistol sliding down the tiled floor. She desperately tried to push him off, as she reached for her pistol that was mere inches away from her. His jaws snapped at her and he lowered his head down to her face. Suddenly the door flew opened and Marshall was rained with bullets. Kendall quickly pushed him off and sat up, pushing herself back against the wall. Marshall began to get up and Jackson stepped on his back pushing him back down and lodged a bullet into the back of his skill. _

_Jackson kneeled down to the sobbing woman and held her in place as his eyes racked over her body. "Were you bit?" She shook her head furiously and looked straight at him with tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry Kendall, but I need you to pull yourself together for Riley's sake, alright?" _

_She nodded and slowly stood up with Jackson's help. He handed over her pistol that was on the floor and they headed to the second floor. "She might be in her bedroom." She whispered. Jackson pulled Kendall behind her as they cautiously walked upstairs to Riley's room. Jackson slowly twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Kendall clutched onto his arm as they saw Riley sitting at her table, her back to them. _

"_R-Riley." She quivered. "Mommy's here sweetheart. It's time go. Mommy is going to take you somewhere safe, alright?"_

_Slowly Riley turned her head to the left as her body slightly turned to her mother's voice. Kendall gasped and placed her hands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming. "Holy shit." Jackson whispered. _

_The left side of Riley's face was mauled completely off, the side of her jaw showing from the horrific wound on her face. Blood poured from the wound and down her frilly dress, but what also horrified Kendall was when Riley stood up from the table her right arm had been completely ripped off from her small frame. "Riley," Kendall cried, falling onto her knees. Jackson cocked his gun and stepped into the bedroom. Kendall grabbed his arm, stopping him from what he was about to do. "No, please!" She pleaded. "Don't kill her, she's just a child! She's my baby!" _

_Jackson looked down at the grieving woman and shook his head. "I'm sorry." He said and slowly closed the bedroom door. Kendall screamed, shutting her eyes and placing her hands over her ears. A single gunshot emitted from Riley's bedroom and the door slowly opened once again and Jackson stepped out. "Now she can rest in peace." He muttered and walked back downstairs to let the mother grieve,_

_Kendall dropped her hands from her head and crawled towards Riley's lifeless body on the floor. Kendall sat next to Riley and pulled her baby into her arms and sobbed. "I'm sorry." She repeated over and over. She didn't know how long she sat there holding Riley, or how long she cried for. Kendall picked up Riley and laid her gently onto her bed and moved a stray of blood soaked hair behind her daughter's hair. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect my love." She whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from those monsters." Kendall gently lifted her daughter's head and unhooked the cross necklace she'd given her before deployment. She gave her daughter one last kiss on the forehead before standing up. She looked over to the wall on her right and saw the cross hanging on the wall. Kendall started breathing heavily and her body was shaking with anger._

_She ripped the cross of the pink wall and threw it out the window. "I hate you!" She screamed. "I fucking hate you! You took my baby you son of a bitch, my husband! What the hell do you want from me? What did I do to deserve this?" Kendall fell to her knees once again and grabbed her gun from her holster and pointed in to her head. "You took everything away from me you devil," Kendall cried. "I have nothing left." _

_Jackson darted up the stairs and slapped the pistol away from Kendall before she could pull the trigger. "What the hell do you think you're doing you fucking idiot?" He cried. "Do you think killing yourself is going to bring them back?" _

"_I want to die." She sobbed as she looked down at her blood soaked hands. "There's nothing left for me now. My baby is gone."_

_Jackson kneeled down to her and embraced her in a hug as she sobbed loudly into his chest. "They wouldn't want you to kill yourself over them Kendall." He whispered. "They'd want you to fix this, to help find a cure. They'd want you to continue to live and help what's left of the others to survive."_

_Kendall stayed silent and Jackson lifted her into his arms and carried her downstairs, He grabbed the keys off the hook and opened the garage door. He flipped on the light switch, illuminating the once dark room. A blue Chevy Silverado was parked in front of them. Jackson opened the passenger door and sat Kendall down and buckled her up. He ran into the house and grabbed the bags he managed to scavenge together as well as the duffle bag filled with assorted firearms. He tossed them into the back seat and climbed into the driver's side. _

_He pushed the button to the garage opener and the door slowly began to rise. Several biters swarmed around the truck and he shifted the gear into reverse, rolling over them. He glanced over at Kendall who stared blankly out the window. They had fifteen minutes to make it back to where the others waited. When he pulled into the alley no one awaited them. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel in frustration and shouted profanities. Jackson pulled out his radio and sent out a distress call, pleading for them to return. No one came for them. They were abandoned. _

_**~END FLASHBACK~**_

"I'm sorry about your family," Daryl said sincerely.

"Thanks. Me too," Kendall whispered. "I suppose Jackson was right about me taking this personal, I just don't want Carol to have to go through the pain I went through. But that's something we're not going to have to worry about, because we have you."

"Why do you believe in me so much?" He asked.

Kendall smiled and pushed herself off from the tree. "I know you're probably not into all that religious crap we people have been so hyped up about lately." She chuckled. "But I have very high faith in you Daryl. I know you will find Sophia and I know you won't stop until you do. I guess that's why I've taken a liking to you so fast. You're different, but yet we're the same."

Daryl shook his head in amusement as he stared at Kendall. There was something in Kendall that he'd taken a liking to as well. She was different from the others. While most of the group believed Sophia was already dead, Kendall was there, right by his side cheering him on. Though she looked helpless from the outside, he knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She strived to survive just like him.

Though he was afraid to let people into his life, afraid they might hurt him again. Though Daryl knew Kendall wasn't like his drunken and abusive father or his neglectful mother. She was kind hearted, pure and filled with love and compassion. At that moment, there was something inside Daryl that snapped. He wanted her in his life. But where would he start? How should he start? He mentally cursed himself for being so uneducated in these kinds of things. He wasn't good at expressing emotions, but with her, he would try.

"Come on, we need to quit dawdling around and get to work." He said turning back towards the trail.

Kendall nodded. "You know, you're certainly one of a kind Daryl."

Daryl scoffed and muttered something incoherent under his breath as they walked further into the woods, together.

**A/N: Totally had to break this chapter into two parts. So what did ya think of the flashback and the Kendall and Daryl's moment in the woods together? Drop a review, let me know!" **


	6. The Farmhouse

A/N: *Sighs* Sorry it took so long to update everyone! Life had been crazy! School finally ends tomorrow, yay! And I take my simulation final Thursday and the real one I don't know when. So once school is over more updates will come. I've had a hell of a Monday, so please those who are reading this, please drop a comment and cheer me up.

**Chapter 6: The Farmhouse**

Kendall stared up at the walker in disgust. A noose was tightly wrapped around his neck and was hanging down from a branch, his flesh completely ripped from his legs. For a moment, Kendall felt a bit of sympathy towards the thing, but suddenly remembered the pain those creatures inflicted on her.

Ignoring the walker's desperate struggle to get free and to feed, her eyes landed on a piece of paper that was pinned to the trunk under the dangling walker. Panic filled Kendall's entire body when she realized Daryl had taken a notice to the paper as well.As he took a few steps towards the tree she immediately grabbed his left shoulder stopping him from proceeding any further. Daryl quickly turned his head to look at her and shrugged her hand off.

"What're you doing?" She asked anxiously.

"He ain't hurting nobody." Daryl said.

Kendall sighed heavily. "And if he somehow manages to break free and you get yourself bit, then what?" She said. "How do I explain that to the others?"

Daryl ignored Kendall much to her dismay and leaned over to the tree trunk. "Got bit, fever hit, world gone to shit, might as well quit." He read. "Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait. Let's head back."

Kendall stared at Daryl is disbelief as he walked past her. "So what," Kendall said as she spun around to Daryl. "We're just going to leave him hanging up there?"

"Like I said, he ain't hurting nobody." He replied. "Ain't gonna waste an arrow either. He made his choice. Opted out. Let him hang."

Kendall took a few steps towards the walker and pulled out a throwing knife. "Since you're not willing to waste an arrow, I'm willing to use one of my knives." She said. "I'm not going to jeopardize the lives of the group for some damn walker we didn't finish off."

Daryl huffed and stepped in front of Kendall, leveling his bow to the hanging walker before pulling the trigger. "Waste of an arrow."

Kendall smiled weakly. "I'll get you some more."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"I see you decided to stay," Kendall said quickly as she darted past Jackson. She unfastened the buckle from her vest and pulled the zipper down, removing the heavy safety gear from her aching body. Kendall sighed in relief and threw her vest into the bed of the truck.

"Oh come on. You're still upset with me?" He asked, running after her, "Why?"

Kendall pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jackson, I'm exhausted." She said. "Since we've gotten here, all we've been doing is bicker. I know you're having a hard time getting used to everyone and I do realize its more people we have to protect and to feed, but I want to do it. If I'm going to die, I at least want to know I did something useful with my life. I see the look in your eyes, and every minute I wonder if you're just going to pack up and leave. I'm afraid of losing you. I'm afraid to wake up one morning and realize you're not there. I hate to sound selfish or inconsiderate, but I need you here. I need you here with me."

Jackson cupped her face with his hands. "I'm not going anywhere Kendall, at least not without you." He reassured. "The only thing I care about is you and you alone. I'm sorry if I come off as insensitive to the needs of others, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. So if anyone here is being selfish or inconsiderate, it's me. I love you."

Kendall opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. So many thoughts filled her mind as she stood there in shock. The day they became intimate with one another, they swore to each other that word would never escape their lips. Their relationship was nothing more than friends with benefits. No strings attached, just something they could do to relieve some stress. Now Jackson was standing right in front of her, professing his love."

"Jackson…I-"

The door to the R.V. flew open and Daryl stepped out looking over in their direction. Kendall snapped out of her moment of shock and her face lit up when she saw him. Jackson stood there glancing back and forth between the two, his jaw tightened. "You've got to be kidding me." He muttered to himself.

Kendall stepped over to Daryl. "How's Carol doing?" She asked concerned.

Daryl shrugged. "Same." He said. "We're regrouping with the others first thing."

Kendall nodded her head in the affirmative. "Sounds good,"

The following morning everyone grabbed their belongings and headed towards the farm where the others were located. Since Jackson professed his love for her, things have been awkward between them. She'd been avoiding eye contact with him ever since. Kendall could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. Not once since the confession had he taken his eyes off of her, he'd watch her like a hawk.

Every time Jackson tried to get her alone, someone had always managed to ruin everything when the perfect opportunity presented itself. Jackson's mouth quirked into a smirk, everyone loaded in their vehicles and made their way to the others. Now it was just him and Kendall, alone.

Kendall could feel her pulse immediately quicken as she stared out the passenger window. He had her to himself and she still had no earthly idea what she was going to say to him. Kendall did have feelings for Jackson, but did she love him the way he loved her? Then what of Daryl? Sure they've known one another for a couple days, but she felt a connection between them, something strong. But did Daryl feel it to?

"Avoiding me won't solve anything, you know." He said.

"I'm not avoiding you, I've been busy," She lied.

Jackson scoffed. "Not once have you ever lied to me, and you're going to start now?" He said. "If you don't love me, just tell me."

Since his confession, Kendall summoned the courage to look him in the eyes. "I don't know if I feel that way for you." She said. "I love you, yes, but as my best friend. We have a really good thing going on between us and you're about to ruin everything. I just…I just need some time to think things through Jackson, that's all."

"Fine, take all the time you need." He said. "It's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon. Just remember you've known me fourteen years while you've known that redneck for only three days,"

"Why are you acting like this? You're acting like a jealous boyfriend." She said irritably. Kendall saw him stiffen and her eyes narrowed, thinking she had found the truth. "Oh my god, are you threatened by the thought of me being with another man and finding him better than you?" she pressed, her anger rising. "That's incredibly childish, Jackson. I thought you were better than that."

Jackson turned his head to face her, his eyes dark with anger. "I'm not worried about you finding someone better. I doubt you'd moan for anyone else the way you do for me." The words flew out of his mouth before his brain could register them. He sounded like an arrogant asshole and he knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

Her head fell forward as she let out a sigh. Her hand flew to her forehead and rubbed lightly as she fought back her anger. The truck came to a stop as they pulled up to the farm house. Jackson turned off the ignition and stared at her. "I didn't mean that."

"You meant every word," She mumbled, knowing full well that he could hear her perfectly. She quickly opened the passenger door and stepped out, slamming the door behind her. She inhaled deeply and joined the others.

"You alright?" Daryl asked.

"Peachy," She replied curtly.

"How is he?" Dale asked.

"He'll pull through," Lori smiled. "Thanks to Hershel and his people."

"And Shane," Rick interjected. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him."

For the first time that morning Kendall smiled. Everyone gathered around and hugged, some with tears in their eyes, "How did it happen?" Kendall asked.

"Hunting accident," Rick replied. "That's all, just a stupid accident."

Kendall grinned. "I'm glad he's alright." She said. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask, alright?"

Rick put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," He said. "And thank you for the medical supplies you'd sent with Glenn, it helped a lot."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Not a while longer everyone decided to gather around a mile from the farmhouse and give their condolences to the man who gave his life for Carl's. Kendall looked around at the group and watched as they placed a rock each down on the monument they made for Otis.

But what bothered Kendall the most was Shane. She only knew him for a few days now, but she could tell he changed dramatically. He frightened her now. His eyes were dull and held evil, something she didn't see before in him. It was all clear to her now. He did something horrible, he killed Otis.

"Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Hershel asked.

"I'm not good at it." He said. "I'm sorry."

"You were the last one with him." Patricia said. "You shared his final moments. Please, I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

"We were about done, almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've got to save the boy'." He quoted. "See, that's what he said, He gave me his backpack and shoved me ahead. 'Run' He said. 'I'll take the rear, I'll cover you.' And when I looked back…" Shane limped towards the wheel barrel and pulled out a rock, placing it on the top of the monument. "If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his."

Kendall ran a hand down her face and turned back to the farm house, Jackson following beside her. "You're an expert at analyzing people, what's the verdict?" Jackson asked.

Kendall stopped for a moment and looked at Jackson before proceeding back to the farm. "You have some nerve talking to me right now." She said. "As for Shane, did you see the look in his eyes? He killed that man, I'm certain of it."

"So what do we do now?" He said. "There's no way Rick will believe that. He's blinded by the fact that Shane just saved his son. For all we know Rick considers Shane a saint."

"You're right." Kendall said. "Shane and Rick are best friends. There's no way Rick will believe a word we have to say, but slowly Shane will start to reveal his true colors. He doesn't like the fact that Rick is leading this group. It's only a matter of time before he snaps."

"You think Shane is going to take out Rick?" Jackson asked in disbelief.

Kendall nodded. "Yeah," She whispered. "But it's our job to see that doesn't happen. We'll continue to monitor Shane's movements and behavior for the time being. If Shane does manage to take over as group leader, then it's all over. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempted to kill us off either, we'd pose a threat…at least in his eyes."

"Just stay in my sight, don't wonder off. That's all I ask." Jackson pleaded.

Kendall sighed. "I just need a little space at the moment Jackson, I feel like I'm being suffocated." She said. "At least until tonight, all right?"

He nodded. "Alright,"

"Don't think for a second I've forgiven you for that horrible remark you made earlier." She said. "My feelings are still hurt. And it's going to take some time for me to forgive what you said to me."

Jackson nodded again. "That's understandable. I was being an asshole and I'm sorry for that." He said. "Upside to this, we have all the time in the world."

Kendall frowned. He was wrong. They didn't have all the time in the world. The way they were living, they didn't know how long they had to live. "Y-Yeah."

When they all managed to get back to the farmhouse several of the group gathered around an old pickup while the others sat up camp as they planned for the next search for Sophia. "How long has this girl been missing?" Hershel asked.

"This'll be day three." Rick said.

Maggie walked up to the truck and unrolled the map before us. "County survey map," She said. "Shows terrain and elevations,"

"This is perfect." Rick said, "We can finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams."

"Not you, not today. You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out." Hershel said and then turned to Shane. "And your ankle-push it now, you'll be laid up for a month. No good to anybody."

"Guess it's just me and the two MP's" Daryl said. "We're going to head back to the creek, work our way from there."

"I can still be useful," Shane said. "I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wondered back."

"Alright, tomorrow then," Rick said. "We'll start doing this right."

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives." Shane said. "They need gun training. We've been promising them."

"That won't be a problem." Jackson said. "We've scavenged plenty of weapons and ammunition. We'd still have plenty of ammunition left over after their gun training. Kendall and I will be going on another scavenge in a couple days to gather more supplies before we run out. We'll restock what we've used."

"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property." Hershel said. "We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp."

"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here…" Shane began.

"Look, we're guests here." Rick said. "This is your property and we _will_ respect that."

Rick drew his weapon and placed it on top of the hood of the truck. Much to Shane's dismay he placed his weapon next to Ricks. "Well, we're screwed." Jackson muttered and placed all four of his down. Kendall pursed her lips and piled hers with the others.

"First things first: Set camp, find Sophia." Rick said.

"I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to." Shane said. "What happens if we find her and she's bit? I think we should all be clear on how we handle that."

"You do what has to be done." Rick replied.

"And her mother, what do you tell her?" Maggie said.

"The truth," Andrea said.

"I'll gather and secure all the weapons." Shane said. "Make sure no one's carrying till we're at a practice range off site. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience." Everyone turned to Hershel.

"Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun." Rick said. Hershel nodded. "Thank you."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Before the three headed out for another day of searching, Jackson decided to assemble the weapons and ammunition he and Kendall obtained throughout the months. Though Jackson was only willing to give them half of what they had in the back seat of the truck, just in case.

"Good, you beat me to the punch," Kendall said. "It's bad enough I had to hand over three of my babies, but all of them? That old man has another thing coming if he thinks we're just going to fork over our weapons."

"Yeah, I know. Thankfully we didn't show them half of what we had locked up in the back, but what they don't know won't hurt them." Jackson said and handed her a pistol. Kendall gladly accepted and lifted her right pant leg and placed the pistol in her holster. "I want you to go with Daryl on the search for that kid."

Kendall cocked her head to the side. "What about you?" She interrupted.

"I was getting to that if you just give me one bloody second, Evans." He said irritably. "Someone has to stay behind to keep an eye on Shane. Besides, you're perfect when it comes to stealth mode. Your cat like reflexes might come in handy as well as your impeccable knife throwing skills. I also had some time to think, and as much as I dislike the thought, I'm giving you the space you requested.

Kendall smirked. "What happened to staying in your sight Mr. Turner?" She mused.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "I hate when you call me that, just go before I change my mind." He growled. "Remember, stay focused. More importantly and I can't stress this enough, please be careful."

Kendall turned around and waved dismissively. "Yes mother," She chuckled.

Jackson watched Kendall until she was no longer in his sight. He sighed heavily and slammed the tailgate shut. He didn't like the idea that she was alone with Daryl, but he saw the look on her face when Daryl came into view. Her eyes lit up like a small child being handed a shiny new toy. Kendall never looked at him the way she did Daryl and it hurt, but if she liked him, Jackson was willing to let her go.


	7. Frozen

**A/N:**

**My deepest condolences to the families in Newtown Connecticut. December 14, 2012 was a tragic and heart breaking day. No one should ever have to experience something like, especially children. They had their whole lives ahead of them. And now, they won't get to have their first kiss, go to prom, get their heat broken, graduate, get married or have kids of their own. This hits hard, my son is 6 years old and attends kindergarten, and I wouldn't be able live with myself if something ever happened to him. This year had the record for mass shootings here in America. Seriously, if you're not happy with your life, do what you will with yourself but keep innocent people out of it. People have turned into cruel and sick bastards. We should be united as a nation, but everyone only tends to care for themselves and takes their anger out innocent people, it's selfish. To those 20 children and six adults, may your souls R.I.P., you're forever in our hearts and will be missed dearly. **

**Now onto my note, it's hard to be happy for what I just posted above. First off, thanks to ****Leyshla Gisel****, ****FanFicGirl10****, ****and Dixon'sBikerBabe**** as well as to those who've followed/favorite bleak, your feedback means a lot. I hope this chapter is to your liking. I'm finally getting this story to where I want it to be. The next couple of chapters are going to be hella crazy, so be prepared. Please make sure to drop a comment once done reading, I would like to know what you think of this chapter. Note. There is a hint of lemon at the very end, but nothing graphic, at least not yet. *Blushes* Rated M for a reason peeps. I've spend a couple days on it and its long, happy reading. **

**Chapter 7: Frozen**

It was day three in the search for Sophia and to their misfortune they hadn't run into anything recent leading to her whereabouts, but they refused to give up. Daryl and Kendall trotted through the woods side by side. Normally, Kendall would be her usual cheerful, talkative self and strike up a conversation any chance she got. It wasn't that she wasn't happy working alongside Daryl. In truth, she was ecstatic. But the argument her and Jackson had earlier that morning prevented her from being her usual self.

Jackson loved her, but she didn't feel the same way he felt for her. Kendall loved what they had going on between them. She loved the crazy sex they had frequently and would jump on him any chance she got, but apparently he wanted more from her. Kendall sighed. She was a complete mess. She didn't know what to think anymore.

"I'm surprised you're not yappin' today," Daryl said, breaking the eerie silence between them. "What'd Jackson say to piss you off this time?"

Kendall's head snapped up when she heard Daryl's voice. She flashed him a smile and waved her hand dismissively at the question. "Oh, just being his usual self." Kendall chuckled softly. "I wouldn't worry about it. It's nothing this ol' gal can't handle."

"If he's not happy with you tagging along with me, then he should've gotten off his ass to help me search then." Daryl said.

A small blush formed on Kendall's face. "You noticed that huh?" She said quietly.

Daryl took a quick glance at her and frowned. "I'm not stupid you know."

Kendall stopped dead in her tracks and grabbed his arm to keep him from walking any further. "I never said that," She frowned. "Don't think for a second that I would ever think that of you. I know you're not stupid. In fact, I think you're rather intelligent."

"Ain't you a peach?" He said.

"And a mighty good tasting one at that," She teased and continued back down the creek.

Daryl laughed to himself and shook his head, following after her. A few miles ahead they stopped at an old house in the middle of the woods. "We'll, look at that." Kendall smiled. "Luck might be on our side after all."

Daryl lifted his leg and kicked the door open, Kendall following closely behind. Daryl took the first floor while Kendall searched the second level. She pulled out her machete and started up the stairs. She counted four total rooms, one most likely to be a spare bathroom. Kendall noticed the door was slightly ajar and pressed the tip of her machete against the door, pushing it open.

Kendall took a glance around the room. It was nothing more than a sewing room filled with unfinished blankets and clothing. She placed her backpack on the sewing table and stuffed the side pockets with spools of thread and packages of sewing needles before proceeding to the next room.

There second room was the master bedroom. Countless items and knickknacks were scattered all around the bedroom floor, but what caught Kendall's eyes was the drops of blood leading towards the master bathroom. She tightened her grip on the machete to the point her knuckles turned white and followed the trail. The blood stopped in front of the bathtub, with the shower curtain closed. Kendall readied her weapon and yanked open the shower curtain.

"Jesus," She heaved.

The stench in the bathroom was overwhelming. Kendall pulled out a handkerchief from her vest pocket and pressed it to her face. There was one person in the room who didn't seem to notice the stench, but she had an excuse, being its principal cause. The woman was sprawled in the tub, a cloud of black flies buzzing around her head like a halo, her eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Kendall kneeled down beside the tub and began to reach over to remove a bit of the woman's top away from her shoulder. Bite marks shown from her clothing, and spanned from the top of her shoulder. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Kendall whispered. She gave the woman a silent prayer and stood up, closing the door gently behind her.

The third room was nothing more than an extra bathroom, which she took a quick glance and got out. Kendall came to a stop at the final door and noticed a shadow flash by under the crack of the door. She pressed her ear against the door and could hear nothing but the old floor creak on the other side. Someone or something was in that room. She grabbed the doorknob but was hesitant to open it, wondering what awaited her on the other side.

After a few moments, Kendall took a deep breath and managed to summon enough courage to open the final door. All the color drained from her face and the tight grip she had on the machete loosened, causing it to fall onto the wooden floor in a thud. Memories of that horrid night came flooding back, all she could do was stare. "Riley?"

Kendall could hear the voice in the back of her head, telling her to snap out of it. It kept telling her over and over that Riley was dead. That the child in front of her was not Riley, it was nothing more than a child infected by the virus and had to be eliminated. She willed her insides to move, to shout, to do anything, but all she could do was stare wide eyed at the small child on the other side of the room who was slowly advancing towards her.

Daryl's head snapped up when he heard a loud thud coming from the floor above. "Kendall?" He called, cautiously walking up the steps. When he reached the top of the staircase he noticed Kendall's body frozen stiff as she stared into the room. "Riley?" He heard her whisper. Daryl looked as her puzzled and increased his speed down the hall. He knew her daughter was dead from the story she told him the other night. So what or who was she seeing?

When he stopped at the doorframe he noticed a small child closing in on Kendall. He jerked forward and shoved her out of the way before the child managed to bite her, causing her to hit her forehead against the corner of the dresser. The child stopped for a brief second and snarled at Daryl before turning her attention back to Kendall who was slowly coming to. Daryl level his bow at the child and shot an arrow in her head, letting her fall onto the floor in a heap.

"What the hell you doing just standing there, are you trying to get yourself killed you dumb bitch?" Daryl growled, removing the arrow from the child's skull.

Kendall let out a moan as she slowly sat up. She pressed her back against the dresser and winced at the cut on her forehead. "I'm sorry," She apologized, wiping the blood from the gash on her forehead. "I just froze. I thought she was Riley for a moment."

Daryl's body relaxed slightly and he pulled out the red rag from his back pocket and tossed in into her lap. "It best not happen again." He said irritably and stepped out of the room.

Kendall smiled weakly and used the dresser for support as she stood up. She walked over to the twin size bed that was pushed up against the far wall and pulled the quilt off the bed, draping it over the child's small frame.

When she stepped back outside she noticed Daryl picking a white rose from a bush. "That's a Cherokee Rose." She pointed out.

"I know what it is." Daryl replied curtly.

Kendall bent down and picked up a beer bottle that was tossed aside in the gravel and handed it over to Daryl for him to place the flower in. "Was it her? "She asked.

Daryl looked at her confused. "What?"

"The child inside," She said. "Was it Sophia?"

"No,"

Kendall sighed in relief. "Good," She said. "I think it's about time we head back. This dumb bitch has a killer headache."

Daryl stiffened. For a moment, Kendall could've sworn she saw him blush but decided to keep her mouth shut, in fear of angering him more than he was at the moment. "I didn't mean it," He mumbled.

"Ah, the excuse of the day," She chuckled softly. "It's fine. You were right. I should've frozen up the way I did. I put my life and not to mention _your _life in danger as well, but I can assure you it won't happen again, that I can promise you."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

When Daryl and Kendall returned back to Hershel's farm, everyone was too preoccupied discussing their gun training for tomorrow to notice they'd returned. Daryl stepped inside the R.V. while Kendall walked over to her and Jackson's tent, a blue and white-striped pavilion, and threw her backpack down onto the feather bed.

Kendall came out of the tent and trotted over to the R.V. to try and give Carol some emotional support. As she grabbed the handle to the door she stopped when she heard Daryl's voice. She smiled at his kindness. He was telling Carol about the story of the Cherokee rose. Kendall knew what kind of flower it was, but never bothered to learn the meaning behind the flower itself.

"A Cherokee Rose," Daryl Began. "The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on The Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way, from exposure and disease…and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; Asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl."

Kendall sniffled and wiped the few stray tears that fell from her eyes. A few seconds later, she could his footsteps heading in her direction. She quickly pulled away from the door and walked back into the tent. There were no words that could compare to what Daryl had said to Carol. They were beautiful, and gave hope.

Dark was soon approaching and Kendall wondered if they even noticed they'd returned. She was surprised Jackson hadn't popped in to check on her, maybe he was still trying to give her some space. She figured he'd show up sometime tonight to get some shut eye.

Kendall unfastened her vest and placed in on top of the fold out table they had set up on the other side of the tent, along with her pistol and machete. She sat down on the feather bed and removed her boots and slipped out of her jeans until she was left in nothing but her olive shirt and underwear.

She stood up and neatly folded her clothes, placing them next to her gear. Her fingers gripped the hem of her shirt and she slowly pulled it over her head. She reached for the back of her bra band and unsnapped the clips, when she heard the tent flap lift. She softly placed her bra down in top of her clothes and turned around to face Jackson. "I was wondering where you…" She began, but was startled when she realized the person who stepped into the tent wasn't Jackson.

She gasped and quickly covered her chest with her arms. "Shane, what the hell are you doing in here?" She shrieked. "Get out,"

Ignoring her demand, Shane took a few large steps towards her. And considering the length of his legs he'd managed to cover quite a distance. While Kendall managed to keep herself covered, she used her free hand and grabbed her machete, pointing it directly at his chest.

"Get out," She repeated again. "I won't ask again, this is your final warning."

His eyes hardened and seemed to get a shade colder. "Tell me, Kendall, why'd Jackson decide to stay behind all of a sudden while you and Daryl search for Sophia, hmm?" He asked. "Is there something you want to tell me, something you're hesitant to talk Rick about?"

As he was closer to her, Kendall could hear his heavy breathing as he was obviously trying to rein his anger in, his large chest rising and falling quickly.

"I know you killed Otis," She replied, She could hear the tremble in her voice and cursed herself for showing such weakness.

"I'm tired of you and Dale making that accusation," He hissed. "So shut your fucking mouth,"

Kendall felt herself trembling at his angry words. He seriously looked like he was going to kill her. She only hoped Jackson would realize she'd returned and come looking for her. She just had to stall for a bit longer.

"Or what, you gonna to kill me off just like you did Otis?" She retorted. "It's only a matter of time before the others not to mention Rick figure it out. You're a threat to this group."

"If I'm such a danger, if I am such a threat what're you going to do to stop me, huh?" He pressed. "You going to stab me in the chest with that pointy little knife of yours?"

"No, I'm not like you." She whispered. "But, I will give you fair warning. I've seen the looks you've given Rick, but if you as much as lay a hand on him, things will get ugly. I won't hesitate for a second to protect what he's worked so hard for. Even if that means I have to kill you myself."

Shane smirked and moved the knife away from his chest. He leaned in close, to close for her liking and began to reach behind her. Kendall saw his hand reaching for her gun, she quickly placed the knife at his throat and he slowly moved his hand to the right and grabbed her shirt.

He righted himself and handed her the shirt. "You should keep yourself covered," He said. "There are a lot of men running around this farm. Never know when one will just take advantage of a pretty young woman such as yourself, you should be careful around Daryl."

Kendall glared daggers at Shane as she watched him leave the tent. How dare he accuse Daryl of being a pig, if there was anyone she should be careful around it was Shane. She let out a shaky breath and placed her machete down onto the table and slipped the shirt over her head before lying down on the feathered bed.

Her back was to the tent flap as she lay in bed, and just when she was about to give up on sleep, and get out of bed to relieve someone's shift, she heard it- the tent flap quietly being opened. Unfortunately, because of her position, she was unable to catch a glimpse of the person who'd entered the tent.

She remained quiet and calm, not giving away the fact that she was still awake in hopes of catching the intruder by surprise. Thankfully, her hand was under her pillow near the throwing knife she had placed there, so all she had to do was grasp it and slash around to strike.

Paranoid with the encounter she had with Shane earlier, she feared he'd come back to do something unforgivable like he did with Otis. Despite have that obnoxious thought running through her head, she was still able to listen to the intruder who was now at her bedside. She could hear the person let out a small sigh, and she very slowly-without giving a hint of movement-took hold of her throwing knife from beneath her pillow.

She waited for him or her to make their move. She could hear her heart pounding away in her ears in steady growing panic, and she could feel a bead of sweat forming at her forehead. A hand placed itself on her head and she finally reacted, whipping out her throwing knife as she spun around to a sitting position to stab the intruder. She took in a sharp intake of breath when her arm was stopped, and her eyes met the person who had entered the room.

"J-Jackson," She whispered in surprised.

Jackson's stern face turned into a sheepish grin, and he released the startled woman's arm. "I didn't mean to scare you Kendall." He whispered. "Go back to sleep, I was just checking up on you."

Kendall lowered her knife throwing hand with a sigh and she growled quietly. "You dumbass, what the hell were you thinking sneaking up on me like that?" She quietly exclaimed. "I could've killed you just now."

"Sorry, I was contemplating on how I should've approach you," He defended. "I didn't think you would react so suddenly."

"I was awake the entire time you idiot." Kendall maneuvered herself so she was sitting Indian style and patted the space next to her, to get him to sit down. "I couldn't sleep."

Jackson's eyes searched her face, aided this time by the internal light of the moon. "What happened to your head?" He asked. Her hand quickly went to his as he tried to reach her head. "Let me see," He said softly.

"I'm fine," She reassured. "I just bumped my head, no big deal."

She gave him a warm smile as he rubbed his thumb along her cheek bone. "I know you don't feel the same way for me as I feel for you, and that's perfectly fine. I understand that now. I see how your face lights when you're around him. I haven't seen that smile on your face since you were with Marshall." He said. "At least let me make love to you one last time."

Kendall chuckled and nodded her head. Jackson cupped her face and pressed his lips to her gently. She had to suppress a whimper as she felt his warm lips descend on hers. It was warm and tender and left her aching for more, so when his tongue traced her bottom lip teasingly, she parted her lips and granted him entry.

He took hold of the bottom of her top pulling it over her head slowly, trailing his fingers up her body making her shiver. He gently pushed her down onto the bed and hooked his thumbs in the sides of her underwear she was wearing and pulled them down.

Wordlessly, he stripped off his clothes, casting them aside carelessly before moving to gently lay atop her, covering her smaller form with his. He planted his elbows on either side of her head to make sure he wouldn't crush her and wanted to growl at the wonderful feeling of her body heat and silky skin.

He kissed her again, and she kissed him back fiercely. She squeezed her legs around his waist tighter telling him she wanted more. "You sure?" He asked breathlessly.

"Jackson please, don't back out on me now." She begged, raising her hips.

He lined himself up, hovering above her, looking down at her beautiful face before pushing his hips forward, entering her slowly. She gasped and dug her fingernails into his back, moaning. Her leg muscles tensed around his waist forcing him deeper. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He whispered.

A tear slid down her cheek as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You too," She whispered. Jackson smiled and crashed his lips back onto hers. Even though this was their last night sleeping together, he'd never been this happy in his life. He wished this moment could last forever, but he knew that all good things had to come to an end at some point in time.

**A/N: Please make sure to drop a comment. If I get plenty of feedback, I will quickly get the next chapter out. **


	8. Confession

A/N: Thanks to Leyshla Gisel, FanFicGirl10, and Dixon'sBikerBabe as well as to those who've followed/favorite bleak, your feedback keeps me going! Spoiled I tell ya. I wrote this last night and just finished this evening. Haha, I loved some of the negative reviews on Jackson. They were cute. This chapter should be to your liking you Daryl x OFC fans! So please drop a review.

**Chapter 8: Confession **

The others hadn't been gone long. Kendall reached over and touched Jackson's sleeping bag. It was still warm. And the fire was blazing in the ring, a pot nestled among the embers heating water for instant coffee and freeze-dried eggs.

Kendall looked back at the sun. It had climbed in the sky and it pounded her with its heat. But it still didn't seem to give off any light. The only illumination in the campground came from the flickering fire. Shadows jumped, danced around the edges of the camp.

"Jackson?" Kendall whispered. Beyond the reach of the firelight something rustled in the underbrush. Kendall tried to peer into the darkness, but she couldn't see anything. "Jackson?" She whispered again, but there was no answer.

Where had Jackson gone? Where had they all gone? And why had they left her here alone? She bent down to check one of the sleeping bags and her hand came back sticky and feathered. There was a gash in the bag, and as Kendall stood up, the feathers flew out of the tear and swirled around her face. She shook her hand to get the feathers off, but they wouldn't fall. She slapped at them, and her hand came back red with blood. The gash in the sleeping bag was bleeding.

This wasn't possible. Even as her rational mind was being consumed with terror, Kendal knew that a nylon shell filled with duck feathers couldn't bleed. And that meant this couldn't be real. She had to be dreaming. All she had to do was wake up.

Kendall squeezed her fist until her fingernails were digging into her palm. Then she looked down at the sleeping bag. It was still oozing blood. She looked up at the sun. The sun was oozing blood, too.

There was another rustling in the bushes behind her. Kendall turned to see who was coming after her. _What_ was coming after her? Now the rustling was all around her and there was nowhere for her to run, nothing she could use to defend herself. Walkers flew out of the bushes and tackled her to the ground, except they weren't just ordinary walkers. They were her friends, her group. She screamed in agony as they ripped her to shreds.

Kendall woke up. Her eyes flashed open. She groaned into her pillow and rolled over, her hand searching the feathered bed for Jackson but realized his side was colder than hers. He'd been gone for a while. The sun was already out, and by the suns position she could tell it was late in the morning. "Shit," She muttered and threw the sheets from her body and quickly got dressed.

Kendall came out of the tent and searched the farm for any trace of them. "Morning Kendall," Lori greeted. Kendall jumped when she heard her voice coming from behind her and spun around. Her and Carol snickered at her surprise as they pinned clothes to a wire for drying. "You feeling alright sweetie, you look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Y-Yeah, just a rough night is all." Kendall replied. "Where is everybody?"

"Out searching for Sophia," Lori said. "They split into groups early this morning. Jackson said you weren't feeling well last night and wanted you to rest a while longer."

"Ain't he a sweetheart," Kendall mumbled. "Who'd he team up with, Daryl?"

Lori shook her head. "No, Daryl took a horse and wondered off on his own." She said. "I believe Jackson went with T-Dog and Andrea."

Kendall bit her lip, Daryl went alone? What if something happened, what if he needed her help and she wasn't there? She shook her head of such thoughts. Daryl was more than perfectly capable of handling himself, but something in her gut told her something was wrong.

"And I suppose Rick and Shane are searching together?" Kendall asked, trying to distract her mind from Daryl.

Lori nodded wearily. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason, just curious is all."She replied, rubbing the back of her head irritably.

Kendall wondered aimlessly around the farm for the next couple hours, she basically had no idea what to do with herself since she wasn't out with the others searching for Sophia. So instead, she went back into her tent and pulled out her map, marking the next cities that she and Jackson would hit in the next day or so.

The tent flap opened and Jackson stepped in chugging a bottle of water. "Nice to see you're doing something useful this afternoon." He joked. "Did you find a town of your choosing?"

"Yeah, well I would've been out there right now if someone would have just wakened me up," She growled. "And yes, I did find a couple cities on the map we could hit."

Jackson grabbed the map out of Kendall's hand and looked it over. "The closest one is not for another hundred and fifty miles, are you sure you want to target that one?" He asked. "There's one closer to the farm, maybe forty miles out at most."

Kendall shook her head. "The city forty miles out is the one Glenn and Maggie went to the other day." She retorted. "The one's I marked are not too high in population, we should be fine. I only marked them because I know they have what we need."

Jackson shrugged. "Alight, we'll head out first thing." He said. "You might want to see if your boyfriend wants to tag along. Give him a break from searching for that kid."

"He's not my boyfriend," Kendall muttered and stood up, tearing the map from Jackson's hands. She lifted the tent flap and was about to step out but stopped herself. She turned to Jackson with a confused look. "Wait, you want to bring him along? You're being overly supportive today, what's the catch?"

Jackson shook his head. "No catch," He said. "Just thought an extra person would be useful is all, it's less I have to carry."

Kendall opened her mouth to speak, but a voice shouting kept her from doing so. "Walker!" Andrea yelled. "Walker!"

Kendall and Jackson stepped out of the tent and rushed to the others. "How many?" Jackson asked.

"Just one," Andrea replied. "I bet I can nail it from here."

"No no, Andrea, put the gun down." Rick ordered.

"You'd best let us handle this." Shane said.

"Shane, hold up." Rick said. "Hershel wants to deal with walkers."

"What for, man? We got it covered." Shane replied.

Kendall and Jackson looked at each other and decided to go with the others to take care of the walker, but what they saw was enough to almost break Kendall. Jackson grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. "Is that Daryl?" Glenn asked,

"That's the third time you've pointed that thing at my head." Daryl growled angrily. "You gonna pull the trigger or what?"

Kendall almost let out a laugh in relief. He wasn't a walker, he was perfectly fine. Rick lowered his weapon and sighed, but nothing prepared them for what happened next. A gunshot blasted through the air, knocking Daryl down onto the ground. "Daryl!" Kendall cried.

"No!" Rick shouted towards Andrea. "No!"

Kendall pushed Jackson aside and immediately flew to Daryl's side. She quickly grabbed his hand lowering it down to his side so she could inspect the damage. She tore her sleeve off her shirt and pressed it to his head, "It's just a graze."

"I was kidding." Daryl slurred before passing out. Rick and Shane helped him to his feet as they quickly headed back to Hershel's farm.

"Oh my god," Andrea cried. "Oh my god, is he dead?"

"Unconscious, you just grazed him." Rick replied.

Kendall glared daggers at the woman. She tried her best to contain her anger, but it just slipped. "What the hell were you thinking?" Kendall shouted. "Rick specifically ordered you to stand down. What of 'stand down' could you not comprehend? You could have killed him you stupid…"

Jackson stepped forwards and grabbed Kendall by her arms, turning her back towards the farmhouse. He knew if he'd let her have her way there would be nothing left of the blonde woman, and decided to keep her bay so she wouldn't regret her decision later. "Calm down." Jackson soothed. "He's okay. Let's head back to the others so you can help patch him up."

Kendall took a deep breath for exhaling deeply and nodded. "Y-Yeah, okay," She said.

She ran back to the others and overheard Glenn complaining of something. "But look at him." Glenn pointed out. "What the hell happened? He's wearing ears."

Rick ripped the necklace off of Daryl and shoved it into his breast pocket. "Let's just keep that to ourselves."

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?" T-Dog asked, holding up a small dirty doll that looked like it had been from hell and back. Everyone turned and looked at T-Dog and their faces fell, but where was Sophia?

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"I found it washed up on the creek bed right there." Daryl said. "She must have dropped it crossing there somewhere."

"Cuts the grid almost in half," Rick said, looking down at the map.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Daryl said sarcastically.

"How's he looking?" Rick asked.

"Well, we've practically burned through most of the antibiotics we had." Kendall said, cutting the thread on his side. "We're going on a run first thing tomorrow morning. So I'll be sure to grab as much as I can."

"Any idea on what happened to my horse?" Hershel asked.

"Yeah, the one who almost killed me?" Daryl asked. "If it's smart, it left the country."

"We call that one Nelly, as in nervous Nelly." Hershel declared. "I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask. It's a wonder you people have survived this long."

The four men stepped out of the room to let Kendall finish working on Daryl. She just finished patching up his side and moved to work on the graze on the side of his head. She gently wiped the around the gash and began suturing the wound. The silence was excruciating, and drove Kendall to the point of insanity. She lowered her head and sighed, her lip quivering.

"I'm sorry Daryl." She whispered.

"For what?"

"For not going with you," She said. "For not being able to prevent any of this,"

Daryl's hand stopped her from attending to his wound and she lifted her gaze to meet his. "Don't beat yourself up." He said. Though I…I was afraid there for a moment."

Kendall smirked and wiped a stray tear. "Are you admitting something there, because I think you just did?"

Daryl gave a light chuckle. "Just don't tell anybody, or I'll have to shoot you with my bow." He came to a stop though when he realized that Kendall wasn't responding.

"I'm…really relieved." She said. "I guess I finally realized how dangerous everything is around us. I was afraid for you."

Daryl's eyes widen slightly. "You were…afraid for me? Why?"

Kendall slowly placed the gaze down on the wound and gently lifted his head to wrap the bandage around. "Because…" She struggled. "Because I think I lo-"

A swift knock came at the door stopping Kendall from saying what she had to say. Carol came in and sat a tray down on the end table. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"As good as I look." He replied.

"I brought you some dinner, you must be starving." She said. Kendall stood up and walked over to the dresser, placing the medical supplied back into the bag. When she turned around she saw Carol lean down and give Daryl a kiss on the forehead, causing him to flinch as she did so. Kendall lowered her gaze onto the floor.

"Watch out, I got stitches." Daryl said.

"You need to know something." Carol said. "You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did in his whole life."

"I didn't do anything Rick, Shane or Kendall wouldn't have done." He said.

"I know." Carol said. "You're every bit as good as them. Every bit."

Carol stepped out of the room leaving Daryl and Kendall in the room alone once again. "You were saying?"

Kendall sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled weakly. "Forget it, it's nothing." She said. "Well, I guess I'm going to get some rest before the big day tomorrow. I was going to ask you tag along, but you need to rest."

"We got a trail, and you're just going to leave?" He asked, wincing as he sat up. "She's out there, I know it."

"You shouldn't be sitting up right now." Kendall warned, lending her aid. "I'll talk to Jackson tonight. We'll hold off for the time being until we locate Sophia, but once she's found I have to make a run. We're running low on medicine and I can't afford to have anyone else get hurt, especially you."

Daryl nodded while Kendall leaned over and tightened the bandage that was coming undone on his head. "I can't tie for shit." She chuckled softly. Daryl couldn't remember quite at what point he had started to hold his breath, or when his heart started to pound away at his chest, but as soon as the words escaped her lips, he slowly leaned in and captured her lips.

Surprisingly, she didn't freeze up like he thought she would. Instead, she gently placed her hand on the back of his head and pulled him closer as she continued to be gently kissed by Daryl. She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips against her own. It felt so right to her, making her wish it wouldn't stop.

He then slowly pulled away, brining a hand up to her face, gently caressing her cheek as he did so. "I know we've only known each other for such a short time, but when we first met I knew we had something. I've had these feelings for you since our first day of searching together." She whispered. "I held them back though, because I thought it was the best thing to do. I knew that there were emotions that you didn't understand how to deal with, or express. So rather than scaring you away with what I felt for you, I decided not to do anything. I wanted to be able to be by your side, to be there for you if only as a friend. But I want-no, I need you to know how I feel for you before I regretted not doing so, because then, it might be too late. I'm in love with you."


	9. Search Concluded

**A/N: **

**Sorry for the late update everyone. I've been drained this past Christmas break, so all I've been doing is sleeping. So I just finished writing this chapter, so sorry about the errors in grammar and spelling. :/ Thanks to all those who've commented/favorite/followed Bleak. Please, keep the feedback coming. The more feedback the faster chapter gets uploaded, good thing I already have the next one semi-written. : p**

**I had this one written like a week ago and something happened and wiped it all out. So I had to start from scratch and memory, Curse me for not writing it down. Well, Happy belated Merry Ho Ho everyone. **

**Chapter 9: Search Concluded **

Daryl's eyes widen at Kendall's confession. She loved him, but what was he supposed to say in return? Not once in his life had he ever told a woman he loved her. Kendall smiled at him and pushed herself from up off the bed. "You don't have to say it, I don't expect you to feel the same for me. Hell, we just met." She laughed, taking a few steps towards the door. "I know I just sprung that out of the blue and it might be difficult for you to say, so I understand. I just thought you should hear it. I'll see you in the morning, get some rest."

And with those final words Kendall gently shut the door leaving Daryl alone in the room with just his thoughts. Daryl sighed and slowly lied down back onto the pillow. He placed an arm over his eyes. He was going to have a hell of time sleeping tonight.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~ **

A few days later everyone gathered around for a quiet breakfast. Kendall was leaning against a tree next to Jackson poking the food on her plate, as she remembered the kiss her and Daryl shared the other night. "What's the matter? You haven't touched a single thing on your plate." Jackson said. "Are you coming down with something?"

Kendall looked at Jackson, who was looking at her with a concerned look on his face. Kendall shook her head and smiled "Nah, just not that hungry this morning," She said, passing him her plate. "You're more than welcome to have my share if you want it."

"You need to eat," Jackson pressed, pushing her plate back. "You're too damn skinny. I need you in tip top shape when we go scavenging in a few days."

Kendall gaped at Jackson and punched him playfully in the arm. "I'm not that skinny you jerk."

Daryl on the other had been keeping a close eye on her since she woke him up this morning. Ever since that night things had been a little awkward between them, but even still, she got up and checked on him every chance she got. She even cleaned his wounds and applied fresh bandages on for him.

Daryl could tell her feelings were hurt but she masked it well. She went throughout these whole days as if nothing had happened between them. He was a coward. Since he met Kendall, sides of him he never bothered revealing to anyone, slowly began to surface. But he was afraid, afraid to open himself up to her.

Glenn stood up from his chair and stood in front of everyone. He cleared his throat, gathering the group's attention. "Um, guys." Glenn said hesitantly. "So, the barn is full of walkers."

Kendall's fork dropped onto her plate as she stared wide eyed at Glenn. It took a moment for everyone to process the news before they placed their plates down and made their way in the direction of the barn. There was no mistake. Moaning and growling could be heard from the inside. Glenn was telling the truth. Which didn't come as a surprise to her, he was conscientious and she respected that. But what had her wondering was how long he'd been keeping this hidden from them.

"You cannot tell me you're alright with this?" Shane asked Rick.

"No, I'm not." Rick said. "But we're guests here. This isn't our land."

"This is our lives, man!" Shane yelled.

"Lower your voice." Glenn pleaded.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug Rick. Something needs to be done, now." Jackson said. "The group's safety is at risk."

"Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go." Shane said. "Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time now."

"We can't go." Rick said.

"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane said irritably.

"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol said in disbelief.

"Okay," Shane said. "I think it's time we all start to just consider the other possibility."

"Shane, we're not leaving Sophia behind." Rick said.

"We're close to finding this little girl." Daryl growled. "I just found her damn doll two days ago."

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found _a _doll." Shane said.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." Daryl shouted.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said." Shane shouted back. "You get a good lead; it's in the first 48 hours. Let me tell you something else man. If she was alive out there and you're all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction.

"Shane, that's enough." Kendall hissed.

Kendall took a quick glance over at Daryl and noticed he was fuming. Daryl took a few quick steps towards Shane as they yelled at one another. Daryl had enough of Shane's ranting and lifted his arm to punch him in the face, but before he could get a decent shot in Kendall intervened and pulled him away while Rick and Jackson took care of Shane.

"Settle down, now." Kendall ordered Daryl. "You don't need to be putting strain on your body. Now take a deep breath and calm your ass down."

"Keep your hands off me." Shane warned Rick and Jackson.

"Now just let me talk to Hershel." Rick said, "Let me figure it out."

"What are you going to figure out?!" Shane yelled getting in Rick's face.

"Enough!" Lori ordered, pushing Shane back.

"If we're gonna to stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land." Rick said,

"Hershel sees those things in there as people-sick people." Dale said pointing to the barn. "His wife, his stepson."

"You knew?" Rick said.

"Yesterday, I talked to Hershel." Dale said.

"And you waited the night?" Shane asked in disbelief.

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did." Dale said. "I was waiting till this morning to say something, but Glenn wanted to be the one."

"The man is crazy Rick," Shane said."If Hershel thinks those things are alive or-"

Rick and Shane started to yell at one another once again. Kendall looked over to the farm doors and took a step back as she heard the walkers becoming more riled up at their heated argument. The walkers were growling like mad and the chains began to rattle. "I think it would be wise if you two take this conversation elsewhere." Kendall said. "Now,"

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

After everything that went down earlier that morning, everyone parted ways to gather their gear for another day of searching by the creek where Daryl had located Sophia's doll. Though Daryl wasn't anywhere in sight, Kendall knew exactly where he was at. He was going to make another attempt at one of Hershel's horses.

"You really shouldn't be lifting that in your condition." Kendall scolded. "You'll just end up ripping those stitches and I'm going to have to sew you back together all over again."

"I'm fine." Daryl replied.

"No, you're not fine." Kendall pressed. "You need to heal."

"Yeah, I don't care." Daryl said.

"Well I do." Kendall said taking a step forward. "Rick and the others are going to follow the trail. Take that time to rest. You can't do everything on your own, you need a break."

"Yeah well, I ain't gonna sit around and do nothing." Daryl said.

"No, you're just going to go out there and get yourself hurt even worse." She said. "You had a very close call with two walkers the other day and nearly lost your life. Stop being so damn stubborn, you don't need to go out there and risk your life all over again for a child who is most likely not coming back."

A surprised gasp escaped Kendall's lips and she placed a hand over her mouth. Daryl flinched and slowly turned around; anger etched on his face. His breathing picked up and Kendall noticed his chest was rising and falling quickly as he threw down the horse reins.

"What?" He asked.

Kendall met his gaze. "Daryl, please try to understand. The chances of her still being alive out there are slim to none." Kendall said. "Two walkers were roaming around the other day, not to mention how many more are still lurking out there. There's a high possibility she could've been bitten. I'm not saying I don't have faith she's still out there alive somewhere, I'm just trying to prepare myself for the other possibility."

"You sound just like the others." He snarled and grabbed the horse saddle, throwing it to the ground angrily. He grabbed his side and nearly collapsed from the pain. Kendall ran to his side, but he ended up slapping her hand away. "Just leave me be!"

"Nice Kendall," She told herself. "You really know how to make things worse."

Kendall walked back to her tent and slipped on her vest before she headed out into the woods. When she'd returned to the farm, the others had already left. She took a quick glance over to Daryl's tent and noticed he was still in there sharpening his knife. She sighed heavily and headed towards the creek, alone.

Kendall held onto a tree branch for support as she slid down the steep hill into the creek. As she walked further down the trail something caught her eye. She bent down and noticed there was a trail of dried blood leading up the rocks. "Sophia!" She called out. Kendall's hands gripped the large rocks as she began to climb, following the trail of blood. As Kendall reached over for the next rock her hand slipped on something wet.

"Shit." She hissed as she tried to regain her composure. When she pulled her hand back she realized what her hand slipped on was blood, coagulated blood. "Oh, this is fantastic."

Kendall swallowed the lump her in throat and glanced around her for any sight of walkers. She grabbed the nearest rock and swung her arm over and pulled herself up to solid ground. As she was doing so a hand shot out and grabbed the strap of her vest. Kendall screamed as she looked up and realized the dire situation. As the walker leaned down to attack her, Kendall pushed back and removed her grip on the rocks causing her to fall back into the shallow creek, taking the walker down with her.

Kendall landed hard on her back knocking the air straight out of her lungs. The walker slowly stood up and advanced towards Kendall growling hungrily. She groaned in pain as she rolled onto her side. The walker bent down with its jaw open and Kendall lifted her leg and kicked it hard in the stomach, causing the walker to fall back down. She pushed herself up on her knees and pulled the machete from its sheath and sprang towards the walker before it had a chance to get back up.

Kendall placed a foot onto the walker's chest and lifted her machete into the air with both hands before thrusting the knife into its skull. She panted heavily and removed the knife from the walker and stumbled back. Kendall let out a laugh in relief as she sheathed her machete. "Idiot," She scolded herself.

Kendall managed to climb back up the way she came from and followed the trail, but to her dismay it came to a dead end. From what she could see the trail had been erased and there were no traces of blood or footprints leading to Sophia. So, Kendall decided to head back to the others and report her findings.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

When Kendall returned everyone had already reported back to the farm. Kendall did a head count and realized a few members of the group were missing. She didn't see Rick or Shane not to even mention Dale around. "What the hell happened to you?" Jackson snickered.

"I felt like going for a damn swim that's what happened." She spat venomously. "I was attacked by a walker when I came upon a new finding. A trail of blood, human blood I might add."

Even at the new evidence she found no one seemed to care. What the hell was wrong with these people, did they even care about Sophia? Though the situation did seem pretty grim at the moment and the chance of Sophia still being alive was very slim. For all Kendall knew, that wound could've been inflicted by a walker. If that's the case, the fever would've killed Sophia by now leading the result to reanimation.

"Damn it. Isn't anybody taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail." Daryl said, and then noticed Shane walking up to the group. "What's all this?"

"You with me, man?" Shane asked handing Daryl a shot gun.

"Yeah," Daryl agreed,

"Time to grow up." Shane told everyone, passing out a weapon to each and everyone in their group.

"Thought we couldn't carry?" T-Dog asked.

"We can and we have to." Shane replied.

Kendall had a bad feeling about this and wondered what Shane was up to this time. Something huge was about to go down and she had a feeling Rick wasn't going to approve of it. Shane stopped in front of Kendall and Jackson and tossed them their duffle bag. "Let's see how loyal you two are to this group." Shane said. "If you're that concerned for this group's safety you'll do what it takes to protect them at all costs."

Part of Kendall knew Shane was right. This was her job, her orders and she wasn't going to back down. Though the other part of her told her they needed to wait for Rick so he could discuss the situation with Hershel, but Shane was too damn hot headed and he wasn't willing to listen to a word Rick had to say anymore.

So, Kendall and Jackson were going to do exactly what they were ordered to do the day havoc took over planet earth. They were going to terminate each and every walker inside that barn, regardless of what Rick had to say. Kendall nodded at Shane and reached into their duffle bag and pulled out her favorite pistols along with a few clips before tossing the bag over to Jackson.

"Look it was one thing sitting around here and picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe, but now we know it ain't." Shane said, then handed Glenn a weapon. "How about you man? You gonna protect yours?"

Glenn looked at Maggie and took the weapon from Shane, nodding. "Can you stop?" Maggie asked. "You do this, and you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."

"We have to stay Shane." Carl said.

"We ain't going anywhere, okay. Now look, Hershel, he's just gotta understand, okay? Well he's gonna have to." Shane said and kneeled down to Carl, handing him a pistol. "Now we need to find Sophia, am I right? Now I want you to take this. You take it Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on. Take the gun and do it."

Lori pulled Carl behind her. "Rick said no guns." Lori hissed. "This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

"Oh shit." T-Dog gaped.

Shane dropped his pistol. And everyone turned in the direction to see what they were looking at. Rick and Hershel were dragging in two walkers towards the farm with snarl poles. "What is that?" Shane said as he ran in the direction of Rick and Hershel. Everyone quickly followed his lead. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Shane, just back off." Rick ordered.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Shane asked in disbelief. "You see what you're holding onto?"

"I see who I am holding on to." Hershel replied.

"No, man, you don't." Shane said.

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk." Rick said.

"What do you want to talk about, Rick?" Shane asked. "These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us."

"Shane, shut up!" Rick shouted.

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane said and fired three rounds into the walker. "That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who is alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still coming?" And fired two more rounds into the walker."That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?"

"Shane, that's enough!" Rick ordered.

"Yeah, you're right man. That is enough." Shane said and took five steps towards the walker, lodging a bullet into its skull. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us, enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now.

Shane ran towards the barn and picked up a pickaxe and began to hit the chains. "Take the snarl pole," Rick shouted at Hershel. "Hershel, listen to me, man, please! Take it now."

Ricks pleading when unheard, Hershel was too far gone to do anything. Shane finally managed to break the lock from the barn door and lifted the piece of ply wood off the doors. Kendall removed the safety from her pistol and leveled it towards the barn. "Lori, take Carl and step away." Kendall ordered. "Now!"

"Please!" Rick pleaded once more with Shane. "This is not the way, please brother!"

"Come on," Shane taunted the walkers, pounding on the wooden doors. "Come on, we're out here!"

Slowly the barn doors began to open and everyone who had a weapon stepped to the front lines and began to take down the walkers one by one. Kendall lost count on how many walkers had stepped out. No more than three minutes, the gunfire seized and Kendall's ears were met with sobbing from the other family members.

Not a minute sooner they could hear growling and feet shuffling coming from the inside. Everyone kept their guard and waited what was about to step out. Out came a little girl and everyone's face dropped. Kendall turned her head to Carol as she heard her sobs, and then looked back at the small child. This child was Sophia.

Carol began running towards the child. "Sophia?" She cried. "Sophia!"

"Daryl, stop her!" Kendall ordered.

Daryl did as he was told and caught the sorrowful mother to stop her from getting to close to her daughter. Kendall lowered her pistol to her side and watched as the child advanced towards them. This is exactly what Kendall feared, what she tried her hardest to prevent and she failed.

Rick step forward and leveled his pistol onto Sophia. Kendall let out a surprised gasp as she felt an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. She looked up to see Jackson's gaze upon the child. He removed his cap and placed it against his chest, refusing to look away. Kendall clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on her pistol. Time seemed to stop as they waited for what was about to happen. She flinched at the single gunshot and lowered her head. The search for Sophia was now over.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Their ready." Lori said stepping into the R.V.

Since the search for Sophia was now over, everyone thought it would be nice to have a small funeral for her. For the past couple hours they were having difficulty getting the grieving mother to attend her own daughter's funeral.

"Come on Carol, you should be there for her." Kendall insisted. "She would've wanted you there."

"Why?" Carol asked.

"'Cause, that's your little girl." Daryl said.

"That's not my little girl." Carol said. "That's some other _thing_. My Sophia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought…she didn't cry herself to sleep. She didn't go hungry. She didn't try to find her way back. Sophia died a long time ago."

Kendall huffed in disbelief and shook her head. Lori was at lost for words for the grieving mother and headed back to the others. As for Daryl, Kendall could tell he was furious with Carol and pushed himself off the counter and stepped out, leaving her all alone with Carol. "He tried you know, he really did." Kendall spoke quietly. "He cared about Sophia and risked his life out there to get her back. That was a cruel thing to say. Sophia was not a _thing_, she was your child."

Carol didn't say a word. She just kept staring out the window. Kendall sighed deeply and took a seat across from Carol and pulled out a picture from her breast pocket. "This was Riley." Kendall said as she slid the photo across the table towards her. Carol took the photo and looked at it for a brief second before handing it back to Kendall. "She was eight when I lost her to the infection. What I am trying to say is that every emotion that you're feeling at this very moment, I know. The pain, it's so unbearable, so indescribable that it feels like you're going to be driven mad. I'm so sorry for your loss. No parent should have to bury their child and no child should ever have to experience something so horrid. I'm here if you ever want to talk,"

Carol looked directly into Kendall's eyes and swiped away a fallen tear. "Could you leave be, please?"

"Sure," She said nodding and stood up, giving the mother her time to grieve.

"Well, how'd it go?" Jackson asked.

"Not well, she didn't want to attend her own child's funeral." Kendall said and glanced around the farm. "But hey, have you seen Daryl anywhere? He was pretty upset with Carol a moment ago."

Jackson nodded and took another bite of his ration bar before pointing in the direction he went. "Yeah, he trotted over in that direction." He said. "I've already talked to Rick. We're leaving this evening, so make it quick."

Kendall nodded in the affirmative and ran in the direction Jackson pointed to. When Daryl came into view she slowed her pace until she stood directly in front of him. She smiled weakly at him as he was using his knife to make some new arrows.

"Hey." She spoke quietly. "Why wonder off so far when we have a perfectly good campsite to stay at?"

"Yeah, so what?" Daryl replied.

Kendall frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay Mr. Grumpy how about we get away from this place for just a day. Jackson and I are going to head out to scavenge for some supplies and we were wondering if you wanted to tag along? We could get you some new arrows in the process, what do you say?"

"Go yourself." Daryl growled. "I'm done helping."

Kendall sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, what's the matter? Why are you behaving this way?" She asked irritably. "Was it because of what Carol had said back in the R.V.? Damn it Daryl, you can't help what happ-"

"Just go, I don't want you here!" Daryl shouted. "Ever since you've gotten here you've been in my way. If you weren't around I would've had a better chance of finding Sophia!"

Kendall stared at Daryl in disbelief. "Is that what you think of me, a hindrance? Not to mention you're blaming me for Sophia's death? What the hell's wrong with you? I've earned my place in this group. I've provided you guys with food, water and ammunition to keep you'll safe and alive. We could've just turned away, but I refused to leave you all for dead! I stayed because I wanted to help. " Kendall said. "Are you angry with me from the other night? If so you need to tell me right now because I'm not playing this game with you."

"You're a real piece of work lady." Daryl said. "I don't like you, not one bit. I what you're trying to do and it ain't gonna work."

"Jesus Daryl, it wasn't like I was forcing your damn arm behind your back trying to get you to tell me you love me. I didn't expect you to say it back, honestly I didn't. All I wanted was for you to know that there was someone in this group that gave a shit about you, that you weren't alone. Deep down inside I know there is a part of you that cares, you've clearly expressed that to me the other night." Kendall said. "But you're afraid. Afraid that once you open yourself up to me that I'll hurt you. I don't know what type of problems you've had in the past and I won't pry unless you want me to, but you're sadly mistaken if you think I'm one bit like those people. I'll tell you what, if it make you feel better or eases your mind in the slightest bit, forget everything I've told you. That moment we shared, erased. Nothing ever happened. We'll just put it behind us and move on."

And with those final words, Kendall stormed off leaving a shocked Daryl behind. When she reached the farm Jackson was already waiting for her inside the truck. "You sure you don't want to bring anyone else with you?" Rick asked. "We could send Glenn with you?"

Kendall shook her head. "No thanks." Kendall declined. "We're good out there on our own. Don't need more asses to cover. No offense."

"Just be careful out there." Rick said placing a hand on her shoulder. "You two get in and get out as quick as you can."

"Roger that." She said, smiling. "We left most of the ammunition in our tent just in case anything tends to go down while we're gone. We'll be back as soon as we can, tomorrow afternoon tops depending on the situation."

Rick nodded. "Alright, good luck out there."

Kendall opened the passenger door and stepped in. "Daryl decided to stay behind? He asked.

Kendall nodded her head and waved the others goodbye as they drove off the farm. She just wanted to get this over as fast as she could for their sake, but she had a feeling things weren't going to go as smoothly as she hoped. She grabbed the cross from around her neck and prayed silently for them and for the group.

**A/N: **

**That was a hella long chapter. 4,500 words, yikes. Anywhoo, sorry for the quarrel, had to happen. Didn't say they were together in the last chapter. Heh. Please comment…currently working on the next chapter. Finally! The one I've been waiting to write…yay! **


	10. Bad Company

A/N: Thanks FanFicGirl10 for reviewing and to those who favorite/followed Bleak. I just finished this chapter today so I'm going to go ahead and upload it. I was greatly disappointed in the last chapter, so hopefully this will make up for it. Please, please drop a comment guys, It would surely make my day.

Chapter 10: Bad Company

A cold shiver ran down Kendall's spine as she stared at the ghost town before them. Normally Kendall was up for crazy stunts like this, but out of all the stupid crap her and Jackson pulled over the years, this one was telling her to turn around.

"I don't like this," Kendall said wearily. "My gut is telling me we should turn around."

Jackson scowled and turned to Kendall. "Kendall, there isn't another town for another two hundred miles. We don't have that kind of fuel to waste. Everything we need to last us a while is right here. Now suck it up and let's get a move on." Jackson threw open his door and jumped out of the truck. "You coming?"

With a heavy since of foreboding, Kendall reversed the truck for an easy getaway, grabbed the duffle bags in the back seat, and followed Jackson down the paved road. By the time Kendall caught up with him, Jackson was standing in front of the wired barrier, frozen.

"Something wrong?" Kendall asked.

"Just going over the plan one last time," Jackson said. "Making sure every piece is in place. Every angle is covered."

"Great," Kendall said. "What's the plan?"

"No idea," Jackson said, and climbed over the wired barrier.

Kendall rolled her eyes and followed. "Whoever decided to set this up was smart. They made sure to keep what was in, contained" Kendall said. "But my question is where all the walkers are?"

Kendall and Jackson sprinted across the main street. To their stroke of good luck there wasn't a single walker in sight. That is until they turned the corner on the upcoming block. They skidded to a halt when a herd of walkers were standing in the middle of the street. "Well, I hope that answers your question."

The walkers turned around and caught a whiff of their scent and began pursuit. "Let's move!" Kendall shouted. Jackson didn't have to be told twice and sprinted down the empty street, Kendall right on his heels. Kendall and Jackson ran faster that day than they ever had before.

"Move Evans, keep up!" Jackson shouted.

"Jackson, there," Kendall pointed ahead. "That's where we need to go."

Just up ahead, Kendall could see a sole trade business consisting of firearms and ammunition, but they needed draw off the walkers somehow. "We need to shake them off. More preferably draw them in to a contained area."

"Most of the alleyways are sealed off from what I can tell." Kendall panted. "We can draw them into the nearest alley and jump over the barrier. That should hold them off until then."

"Sounds good." Jackson yelled over his shoulder. They turned down the next alley way and weren't met with many walkers. Jackson and Kendall drew their pistols and took each walker down one by one so they could clear a path for them to run through. They quickly jumped on the steel wire barrier and climbed over landing directly on the other side.

Jackson and Kendall stumbled back until their backs hit the wall behind them. "How much pressure do you think that barrier can withstand?" She breathed heavily as they watched the walkers slipped their hands through the wire trying to break through.

"Let's not wait around to find out shall we." Jackson said as he wiped the sweat off his brow. "Come on, we got to keep moving."

Kendall nodded and followed after Jackson. Luckily, the rest of the streets were clear from walkers and they managed to make it to the firearms shop she pointed out earlier. As Jackson stood watch for any passing walkers, Kendall dropped her duffle bag and pulled out a pair bolt cutters and cut the chains off from the door. She pulled out her pistol and pushed the doors open, cautiously entering the building. They cleared out the building and began their mission.

"Grab as much ammunition as you can." Jackson ordered, breaking the glass cases containing pistols.

Kendall's eyes beamed with happiness. On the shelves behind the counter there were countless amounts of boxes filled with various types of ammunition to last a good while. "Jackpot," She sang out and jumped over the counter and filled her duffle bags as much as they could carry.

"Hey, think Daryl will be pleased with these?" Jackson said and tossed her a box. As Kendall caught the boxed she flipped it over and smiled at the contents. A six pack of carbon arrows.

"Oh yeah, more than pleased. Totally beats the crap out of carving your own." She said. "Fill the bag. He was running low last I checked."

"Yo, also found you some more throwing knives." Jackson said.

Kendall grinned and grabbed the knives from off the counter. "Oh wow, these are so much better than what I'm currently using." She said. "They're so much lighter. I can't wait to test these babies out."

Jackson rolled his eyes at Kendall and continued to fill their duffle bags. "Yeah, well stock up babe. We won't be hitting another town like this for a while." Jackson muttered and stood up. "That should do it. We need to save the last two duffle bags for food and medical supplies."

Kendall agreed and they headed to their next destination, the pharmacy. Kendall pulled out her list and placed her bag onto the counter. "It's like everything here was left as it was that day." Kendall said. "Come to think of it, everything in this town has been untouched. I wonder why?"

Jackson shrugged and roamed down one of the aisle. "Who cares, they probably had an early evac." Jackson said. "It's more for us. We'll just keep ransacking this town until there's no more."

Kendall scoffed. "No thanks, we just had a close call with a herd of walkers and you expect me to run back to that." She said as she stuffed her bag with bottles of antibiotics. "I'll take my chances elsewhere. Preferably in a less contained area."

"Hey, did you hear that Lori was pregnant?" Jackson said.

Kendall quickly turned to Jackson. "Shut the hell up." Kendall gaped. "You're so full of shit, who the hell told you that? I highly doubt she told your insensitive ass."

"I've never heard you cuss so much in my life. I love it." Jackson grinned. "Nah, I overheard that Asian kid and that old man talk about it in the R.V. the other day."

"That 'Asian' boy has a name Jackson, use it." Kendall said. "I wonder if Rick knows. "

"I don't know. I mean it's such a perfect time to have children these days." He said sarcastically. "You do realize when that baby is born and it begins to cry, it's going to draw every walker to us. She is putting everyone's lives at risk."

Kendall pursed her lips. "You have a point, but it's her decision and we will respect that." She said. "Maybe we should grab her some prenatal vitamins while we're here."

"Or Plan B." Jackson muttered.

Kendall scowled and draped her bag over shoulder. "Just grab the damn vitamins just in case she decides to keep the baby." Kendall said.

"Geez alright, don't get snippy with me woman." Jackson chuckled. "Makes me wonder how Marshall kept your ass at bay."

"He was a wise man and knew not to piss me off." Kendall smirked. "You could've learned something from him."

Jackson scoffed and picked up the duffle bags. "No thanks, his idea of 'male bonding' was to sit down and watch the games. As for me on the other hand, I've offered countless times to take him to Vegas and hit the strip clubs, but he always refused."

"Well then I married myself a good man at the time." She said, laughing.

"Come on, we need to quit dawdling and get a move on. Just one more stop and we're free to leave." Jackson said, opening the front door. "Jackson was only able to step one foot out the door before Kendall grabbed the back of his vest and jerked him back inside the pharmacy. "What the-"

Kendall clamped a hand over his mouth and pointed out the window as another herd of walkers were passing through. They waited around until the coast was clear and made their move to the mini market a block down from the pharmacy. Kendall and Jackson crept around the back of the store where the loading dock as located. Part of the shudder door was slightly lifted and left them enough space to crawl under and closed it from the inside.

Jackson took out his flashlight and looked under the shed to see it clear. He signaled Kendall the okay and they crawled under the door and into the store, shutting the metal door behind them. Kendall pulled out her flashlight and her eyes landed on the breaker box on the wall in front of her.

"And god said, let there be light." Kendall said as she opened the metal box and flipped the switches, illumination the building.

It took a moment for their eyes to readjust before they decided to head to the front of the store. "I think it would be wise to use the silencer attachments so we don't draw any unwanted attraction." Jackson said. "We'll meet back here in exactly ten minutes."

"10-4" Kendall replied and screwed on the attachment. . Cautiously they opened the flap double doors and walked into the store. Jackson signaled Kendall to take one side of the store while he searched the other. Kendall walked down one of the main aisles but stopped briefly when she caught a glimpse of a walker on the mirror dome above.

Kendall pressed her back against the end cap and readied her pistol. She took a deep breath and turned down the aisle. She leveled her pistol to what looked like to be an employee of the store at one time and shot him point blank in the head. Kendall stepped over the walker and proceeded down the aisle for anything useful. "Ah, here we are." She said, smiling.

After filling her bag with canned goods and other non expired items she decided to find Jackson. As she turned down one of the main aisles she was met with another walker. "Damn Jackson, leave me to do all the killing around here." She mumbled and pulled out a throwing knife. "Let's test you out shall we?" Kendall licked her lips as the walker marched towards her. She snapped her right forearm forward and threw the knife into her targets skull. "Oh nice, I'm gonna like these." She said and removed the blade from the walker's skull, cleaning it off with a white cloth.

"Having fun?"

A surprised yelp escaped Kendall as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. Kendall quickly wheeled around when she heard Jackson's voice and smacked him playfully on the chest. "Jesus, you scared the hell out of me Jackson."

"Sorry," He apologized and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

"I thought we've discussed this Jackson?" Kendall whispered, placing a hand on his chest.

"Do you want me to stop?" He whispered back, trailing loving kisses down her neck.

She replayed the conversation her and Daryl had the day before. He didn't care for her. She was nothing but a hindrance to him. She poured her feelings out to him and he threw it back in her face. Even though she knew there was a part of him that cared, what was the chance he'd open up to her. Would he ever? Kendall swallowed and shook her head.

Kendall found herself trapped between the hard counter and Jackson's equally hard body, breath stolen away by what had to be the most aggressive kiss she'd ever had. His thigh was wedged firmly between her own. Keeping her pinned.

Jackson quickly unfastened her vest and dropped it to the ground. His warm hands slid under her shirt and found their way onto her cupped breasts. She squealed in indignation when he pulled on one roughly, trying to ignore the flash of pleasure that accompanied his actions, but her sounds of protest were muffled by his domineering mouth.

"Well, look what we have here boys," The unknown voice mused. "We've got ourselves a couple of survivors."

Kendall and Jackson quickly pulled away from each other and drew their weapons in the direction of the voice. They weren't alone in this town, there were other survivors. As they drew their weapons the other men did as well, leaving them outnumbered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa everyone just put their weapons down. There's no need for violence." The man said. "We're all human after all, not like those blood thirsty dogs out there. Relax."

Jackson took a quick glance at Kendall who had yet to lower her weapon. What he loved about Kendall was that she was quickly able to determine if a person was good or bad. Though Jackson wasn't stupid, clearly the men had trouble written all over them. He glanced around and counted at least six males in the room, four standing directly in front of them and two who had just rounded the corner behind them. "If you'll excuse us gentlemen, we'll be taking our leave now." Jackson replied curtly.

Jackson handed Kendall her vest and two duffle bags and threw the remaining two over his shoulder and proceeded to the back of the store, only for them to block their path. "Now hold on, where's the fire?" The man asked. "We just got here and you're already leaving?"

Kendall tightened her grip on her pistol and took a step forward. "All due respect sir, but we really have to get a move on." Kendall said. "It's late and the walkers tend to be more active around this time of night."

"Well aren't you a fine piece of ass," The man mused as he took a few steps towards Kendall. "What's your name baby?"

"Her name is none of your concern, jackass." Jackson growled, his finger itching to pull the trigger. "Now step aside."

The man smirked mischievously at Jackson and turned his attention back to Kendall. "Please ma'am if you and your partner could be so kind to lower your weapons." He said. "You're clearly outnumbered here, I would hate for things to get rather messy."

All five men not including the man standing in front of them kept their weapons trained on Kendall and Jackson. A bead of sweat ran down Kendall's forehead. This day took a turn for the worse. There was no way this man was going to let them leave alive. "Jackson, do as they say and lower your weapon," Kendall instructed, slowly holstering her weapon. "Please."

"Like hell I'm bowing down to these scum bags." Jackson growled.

"Do it now!" Kendall hissed.

Jackson stared at Kendall and clearly saw the fear in her eyes. He nodded and did exactly as he was instructed to do and holstered his weapon. Kendall grew scared and was trying to think of a way out of their predicament, playing various strategies in her head, but all resulted in multiple casualties. They could take out a few men with ease, but there was a high possibility that her or Jackson could die in the process. They couldn't afford to die, at least not right now. The others were in desperate need of supplies.

"That's a lot of supplies you got there." The man said as he took a few steps forward towards them. "A lot for just the two of you, are there others?"

Kendall's hand tightened around the straps to the duffle bag and refused to let the man get his hands on them.

"What do you want from us?" Kendall asked.

The man chuckled darkly and grabbed a loose strand of Kendall's hard that had fallen out from her pony tail and twirled it around his fingers. "You didn't answer my question sweetie, are there others?"

"No, it's just my partner and I" She lied. "You clearly stated a moment ago there was no need for violence. We're free to leave are we not?"

"I don't think it's fair to just let the two of you waltz out of here with our stuff, don't you think?" He chuckled.

"Bullshit." Jackson growled. "We scavenged those supplies ourselves. Go out and search for yourselves just like everyone else."

"I'm not putting the lives of my men in jeopardy when clearly what we need is right here in front of us." The man retorted. "You've saved us a lot of time and energy, Thank you."

His smug grin was infuriating and Kendall was trying her hardest not to deliver a punch that would, with any luck, shatter his jaw. "What do you plan on doing with them boss?" One of the males spoke up. "Especially the woman?"

Kendall glared daggers at the man before turning back to their leader. Their leader took the man's words into thought. "We could really use a female around camp." The leader said, winking at Kendall. "I guess we could kill off her friend there since he's going to be a problem, but not before we have a little playtime with his gorgeous toy."

Kendall could feel her pulse immediately quicken as the men closed around them. Kendall slapped the leaders hand away from her and took a step back but then was waylaid by a large build man who had his arm around her neck to keep her from fleeing. She then pulled a knife from her side pouch and stabbed him between his seventh and eighth ribs. He then released her and stumbled back.

Fortunately, Kendall wasn't the only one in the room planning to make a move. Jackson was, too. And as he felt their hands slacken from his arms, he drove an elbow straight into the man's face on his left, and then quickly pulled his pistol from his thigh holster and shot the man on his right two times in the chest.

Kendall then turned around and quickly pulled out her pistol and shot one of the men in the abdomen. Jackson grabbed her hand and they dived in different directions for cover as a rain of bullets showered the store.

Where is she?" The leader shouted to the other three men. "Find her and bring her to me, now!"

Kendall took deep breaths as she tried to maintain her composure and removed the duffle bags from around her neck and sat them beside her. As she did so she winced when she felt a sharp pain in her thigh. "Shit." She hissed as blood started seeping through her left thigh. With shaky hands she sat her pistol down and quickly grabbed a knife, tearing her pants leg to inspect the damage. To her luck the bullet didn't inflict any major damage and just managed to only graze her.

She heard a soft whistle to her left and saw Jackson signaling her to stay down. She gave a quick nod and looked up at the mirror dome above her. Down the main aisle she could see a man approaching their way and signaled Jackson of the situation.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," One of the men taunted. Ignoring the searing pain in her thigh Kendall got on one of her knees and readied her weapon as his footsteps got closer.

"Psst," She called. The man quickly turned his head in her direction and Jackson fired a few bullets into the man. He dropped to the floor and a pool of blood formed around him.

Jacksons face fell when one man whipped around the corner. "Kendall, behind you!" He warned.

Kendall didn't have a chance to turn around. She was then apprehended by one of the men who wrapped his arm around her neck and thrusted a knife into her right side, causing her to drop her pistol. "Hurts don't it." He whispered savagely into her ear. Jackson jerked his gun up slightly but couldn't get a clear shot and didn't want to risk hitting Kendall. "Put your weapon down!" He ordered.

"Don't do it Jackson!" Kendall writhed. "Shoot him, now!"

"Shut up you little cunt," He growled, thrusting the knife deeper into her side. Kendall cried out involuntarily, but held her ground. "Do it now or I'll kill cut her pretty little throat wide open."

"Okay man just calm down. I'm slowly going to place my weapon down." Jackson said soothingly and slowly placed his weapon down onto the ground and backed away, raising his hands into the air. "Just stop hurting her."

Blood poured from Kendall's side as the man yanked the knife from her side. She fell onto her knees and clamped a hand over the wound to try and slow the bleeding. Kendall's head snapped up when their leader stood directly in front of her. Jackson took a step forward but halted his steps when the other men raised their weapons. "Stand up." He ordered.

"Fuck you." She painfully spoke, grasping onto her side. Kendall was petrified, but didn't dare to show it. She knew if she showed her fear it would give the men the upper advantage. She didn't want that, giving them power would just satisfy them.

"I told you to stand up." He ordered again.

Kendall refused once again and the leader raised his hand and smacked her across the face. The slap echoed out throughout the store and Kendall's head whipped to the side. The force was so strong that the elastic band Kendall had holding her hair up fell out. She clenched her jaw and glared at the man.

"I said stand up!" He shouted.

When she remained silent the leader grew enraged. He slapped her yet again but that had little to no effect. It didn't budge her in the slightest bit. He then balled his right hand into a fist and punched her. The pain she felt was indescribable. The whole left side of her face throbbed as a result of the blow.

"Get up Kendall!" Jackson pleaded. "Just do as he says, please."

The leader smiled wickedly down at Kendall. She balled her hands into fists and pushed herself up onto her knees. He took a hold of the back of her head by her hair and yanked her face to where she looked directly up at him. He connected eyes with her and she grew more and more fearful by the minute. His eyes themselves had a demonic sense to them. He was so evil. It was as if he were the product of Satan.

"Kendall, hmm?" The man mused. "Well Kendall, you and your boyfriend over there killed some of my men. I only think it's fair that I take something of yours in return." He turned around to face Jackson and lifted his gun up slightly and fired. A spurt of red geysered from Jackson's neck as he fell to the ground. "Starting with him."

"No!" Kendall cried.

A/N: Jackson, no! Please, please review!


	11. Farewell

**A/N: Thanks ****to ****, ****FanFicGirl10**** and ****Hapi Graveltoes**** for reviewing! And also to those who've favorite/followed Bleak. Your feedback means so much, thank you very much. Please keep the feedback coming, it gives me so much motivation to continue. **

**Please note everyone. This chapter will contain rape and lots of cursing, hence why I've rated it M. Please make sure to review at the end of the chapter. If I get plenty of reviews I'll upload the next chapter sometime around New Year's day. **

**Chapter 11: Farewell**

"No!" Kendall cried. She ran towards Jackson, but before she closed half the distance, one of the men grabbed her and didn't let her go despite her incessant thrashing. She'd completely lost control, all she could see was Jackson laying on the cold tiled floor fighting for his life. "Get your damn hands off me you son of a bitch!" Kendall threw her head back with so much force that the man who was trying to keep her at bay nose broke. The man let out a pained cry and released his hold on her as his hand instinctively went to his nose for a quick inspection.

Kendall clutched her side and quickly hobbled over to Jackson. She kneeled down by his side and tried to pry his fingers off the wound, but they were like steel bands. "Jackson let go." She repeatedly ordered. Jackson was heaving for breath as Kendall was trying her best to remain calm and held her hands over his neck, attempting to stop the flow of blood. "I can't get it."

She removed her hands from his neck and grabbed his hand, placing it firmly against the gunshot wound. "Baby, hold it there. Hold it tight. I need to grab the med bag. I'll be right back, all right?"Jackson gazed into her eyes, full of fear and nodded lightly.

Before Kendall had a chance to stand up, the leader holstered his gun and kneeled down beside Kendall. "Oh man, it looks like he's in a lot of pain. Tell him everything's going to be okay, that it's not as bad as it looks." He said. Kendall shook her head fiercely at the man. The leader frowned at Kendall and pushed her head down towards Jackson. "Do it now, he needs your support!"

"I refuse!" She yelled at him.

The leader stood up angrily and grabbed Kendall off the floor, carrying her several feet away from her dying friend. He growled and threw Kendall down hard onto the tiled floor and pulled her back as she tried crawling back towards Jackson. "You think you can fuck with me whenever you want?" He shouted, tangling one his hands into her hair and pushed her down hard onto the cold tile floor while one of the men held down her legs. "I'm going to teach you who's dominate around here."

"Get off me!" Kendall screamed, still containing the will to fight. She mustered as much as strength as she could to push him off of her, but it was futile when he lifted up her shirt and inserted two digits into the wound on her side. Kendall screamed out in agony which caused the man to smile.

"That's it. Scream for me!" He said, obviously intrigued by her pain-filled screams.

Kendall's screams could be heard throughout the entire store. The anguish and fear in her voice was unmistakable. He straddled her hips and unfastened his pants. He then grabbed onto the waistband of her jeans and yanked them down. The man holding down her legs pulled them off fully from her body as the leader ripped her bra off from underneath her olive shirt. "Do it Ivan." One of the men said, laughing. "Make her suffer for what she's done."

"No!" Kendall wept as he pulled down her panties. She tried multiple times to reach behind her and claw at the man attempting to rape her, but he just held her down. She shrieked as his nails dug deeply into her hips as he thrusted himself within her from behind, her voice sputtering out to gasping sobs, in rhythm with his pounding. "Please, stop!"

Kendall's wedding band that was attached to her cross necklace she loved dearly fell out from beneath her shirt. Ivan's eyes snapped to the necklace she was desperately trying to reach for. "What is that, you want that baby?" He growled as he sped up his thrusts. He reached over and pulled the fine chain from her neck and threw it across the store.

"No!" She sobbed.

Kendall's sobs trailed off into pained whimpers as the man named Ivan continued his movements. She turned her head and opened her eyes, her shamed and hopeless gaze flitting over to Jackson's almost lifeless body. With an animalistic growl, he plunged into her several more times until he finished. He pulled out leaving the trembling woman on the ground, gasping for breath. Despite her momentary freedom, Kendall didn't move. Her eyes were still staring at Jackson.

"My men are just going to love you. You'll make a fine addition to our camp." He smiled, pulling up his pants. Ivan then turned to his remaining two men, "We've wasted enough time here. You two are more than welcome to have her when we return to camp, but right now I need you both to grab those four bags they brought in here while I'll handle the woman."

Kendall slowly sat up and winced at the acute pain between her legs and side. Ivan bent down and grabbed her pants, tossing them into her lap. "Get dressed." He ordered. As Kendall slowly slipped into her pants, her eyes fell onto her knife pouch that was lying on one of the food shelves. "Don't even think about it." He said, pulling her up.

Kendall and Ivan's head snapped up when they heard a blood curdling screamed echo throughout the store. Ivan drew his pistol and pressed it to her head. "Are you fucking messing with me right now?" He growled. "You better tell me now if there are others with you or so help me I will shoot you where you stand."

She opened her mouth to speak, but she wasn't able to form words. Ivan scowled and pulled her towards the front of the store where the scream emitted from. The sight that had stopped Kendall and Ivan wasn't the herd of walkers in the front of the store demanding to be let in, but that one of the men Jackson shot dead was alive, but how?

The man whose nose she broke earlier had a good portion of flesh ripped off from his shoulder as his friend, the walker was approaching him with dim and hungry eyes. "Malcolm! What are you doing?" Ivan yelled and shoved Kendall to the side so he could attend to the situation.

Another one of Ivan's goons rounded the corner and Kendall stood in shock. "That's not possible. How can they possibly reanimate if they were never bitten in the first place?" She told herself. Kendall then gasped as she remembered there was one other man Jackson had killed close to where he'd been shot. "Jackson."

Kendall took that moment of distraction and limped her way over to Jackson as fast as she could, blood pouring from the stab wound in her side. Aisle by aisle she passed until she reached her destination. It was as she thought. The man clearly reanimated, which left her only one explanation. They were all infected with the virus.

Kendall's gaze lowered to her pistol which was still currently lying on the floor behind the walker. The walker reached towards her, as though for love and leapt at her with jaws wide open. Kendall dodged to the side, but was brought to a sharp halt as a needle like stab went through her entire side. She gave out a small scream in pain as she was violently slammed down to the ground.

As he was about to bite her, she pulled her good leg close to her chest, placing her foot on its stomach and kicked it off with all her strength. Kendall coughed and gasped, as she rolled over and tried to regain herself. She quickly pushed herself onto her hands and knees and crawled towards her pistol with all her might and turned around, pulling the trigger.

The walker fell forward and landed directly on top of her, pushing her back onto the ground. She inwardly cursed herself over and over again for recommending this town. She clenched her teeth and pushed the heavy walker off her small frame and crawled over to Jackson.

"Jackson, baby?" Kendall said, running a hand through his beautiful brown hair. She then ran a hand down his face and realized his warmth was quickly beginning to fade. Slowly his eyes began to flutter open at the sound of her voice. Kendall kept her finger on the trigger in case he had reanimated.

"K-Kendal?" He coughed.

She clasped a hand over her mouth to keep the sob that wanted to escape at bay and nodded. She laughed in relief at his voice and kissed him on the lips. "I'm so sorry Jackson, all this is my fault." She cried. "Because of me, you're hurt."

Jackson groaned in pain and shook his head lightly. "D-Did he touch you?" He coughed again. The tears fell harder and she bit her lip. She didn't have the heart to tell him what happened. So she did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She smiled and shook her head no. "You lie."

She slowly placed her head down onto his chest and sobbed. "I'm sorry." She sobbed. "I can't do this without you Jackson. I'm afraid. Afraid that once you leave me, I'll be all alone."

Jackson ran a hand through her hair. "Y-You'll never be alone." He spoke painfully. "I'll always be with you as well as Riley and Marshall. You also have Daryl and the others. J-Just promise me a couple things?"

Kendall gazed into his eyes as he brushed a few of her tears away. She grabbed his hand and held it close. "Anything."

"D-Don't do anything stupid." He said, smiling weakly. "You're strong willed, dependable and responsible. You're also a kind woman who cares for her comrades. Make sure you stay by Daryl's side. You two will make a great team, I'm sure of it. More importantly, don't blame yourself for any of this. You need to regroup with the others, they need you. I was ready to die a long time ago, but because of you I strived to live. I'm not afraid, I'm welcoming this, I finally get to go home. I've… always… loved…you."

Jackson's grip loosened within her hand. Grief filled her from head to toe as Jackson's eyes lost their light. Her best friend was gone. He would no longer be able to give her advice, make sarcastic remarks to piss her off. There would be no more teasing, jokes and smiles, But what she would miss the most, would be his carefree laugh that always made it seem as though nothing had ever happened in this world.

Kendall leaned down and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and hugged him close to her chest. "Thank you Jackson, for all that you've done. You were my hero, my savior and my friend." She sobbed. "I love you so much."

Gunshots and screams blasted through the store. Kendall clenched her teeth and her breathing became rapid. She gently laid Jackson's head down slowly and stood up. Her world was tinted in one dark hue, red. Kendall checked the clip in her pistol, making sure she had enough ammunition for what was about to go down.

She grabbed her knife pouch off the shelf and fastened it to her thigh. With a hand clamped over her wound, she headed towards the commotion. Kendall crept behind the aisle and removed the safety. And from what she could see, there was one walker remaining not to mention the three men, one bitten.

While Ivan was attending to the man with the bite she could hear the other man slapping two more shells into the gun. She quickly jumped out from behind the shelf and shot him in the head as well as the walker. Ivan turned to his fallen comrade and jerked his weapon up at Kendall, but before he had a chance to pull the trigger she shot him in the brachial nerve causing him to drop his weapon.

The man beside him effortlessly tried to reach for his weapon. Kendall glared at the man who stabbed her in the side and held her down while Ivan had his way with her and shot him in the head before he ever had a chance to reanimate. Now it was her and Ivan alone inside the store with a herd of walkers attempting to break in from the outside.

As much pain as she was in, she did her best to mask it well in front of him. She slowly stalked towards the man who was trying to make another pathetic attempt to shoot her. She smirked and kicked the pistol away from his reach.

"Not so tough without your men and your gun now are you?" Kendall growled. "First you and your men barge in here like you own the damn place and attempt to steal our belongings we worked so hard to acquire. Then you go and shoot my best friend in cold blood nonetheless. He's dead now because of you!"

Ivan began to stand up but stood down when Kendall cocked her pistol. Blood began seeping from her side as she removed her hand from the wound and turned her hand into a fist, connecting it with his face. "What you did to Jackson was far worse than the pain and torture you inflicted on me. And for that, your death will be as slow and painful as his was." She said.

"We can talk about this, just put down the weapon sweetie." He spoke painfully as he slowly began to stand up, his free hand clutching onto his shoulder. "We can make it out of this together, just you and me."

"Oh, now you want to beg for your worthless life? Did you heed my desperate cries as I repeatedly begged you to stop raping me?! I've never been so humiliated or degraded in my life until you showed up!" Kendall cried. Her anger began to turn into frustration by just looking at him and shot him once in each leg, making him incapable of moving anywhere. He screamed in sheer, unadulterated agony as he fell to the floor. "That's it, scream for me!" She mocked.

"You crazy bitch!" He shouted. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Then you should have killed me when you had the chance you fool!" Kendall cried. "I'm not your sweetie or your baby. And I sure as hell refuse to be any man's play thing."

Kendall bent down and picked up her vest, slipping it over her aching body and then reached down to grab the four duffle bags. She and Ivan's head snapped in the direction of the glass as it was beginning to break from their constant pounding. She refused to wait any longer and headed towards the back of the store, but was halted from Ivan's desperate cries.

"Don't leave me!" He pleaded. "I'm sorry okay. Please, I beg of you. Take me with you."

Kendall rolled her eyes, walking back towards the crying man and smacked him upside the head. "Sorry isn't going to bring my friend back now is it? Don't be such a pussy. You should take full responsibility for your actions." She said and pointed her pistol at the front glass. "You've brought this upon yourself."

"You're going to rot in hell you bitch!" He shouted, desperately trying to move away from the glass.

"I'm already in hell." She muttered and shot the glass windows, shattering it into thousands of little pieces. The man kept constantly screaming for her to come back as the walkers climbed through. Kendall watched as they flocked over him hungrily, ripping him into pieces before she turned to leave.

Kendall ran towards the exit and stopped over Jackson's lifeless body. "Farewell my friend." She said and placed a bullet into his skull. The flap doors flew open to the warehouse and she grabbed the chain to the shutter door and quickly pulled it open.

When she rounded the corner the walkers were too preoccupied feeding inside the store. She didn't have much farther to run from where they were located, a mile at best. If most of the walkers gather around in front of the store due to the gunshots, it was a straight shot towards the truck.

"You can do this Kendall." She told herself. "Don't be a coward, they need you."

Kendall ran as fast as her body would let her. The pain in her side was becoming unbearable as her adrenaline started fading, but she pushed herself forward. The bags were weighing her down and she was beginning to feel light headed and nauseous from the loss of blood. It seemed the closer she got towards the truck the more walkers seemed to appear. Bullet by bullet she'd take down as many as she could. Finally, she could see the truck ahead of her. She cried in relief at the sight of freedom.

Kendall threw the four bags over the wire barrier and quickly climbed over. She yelped as a walker grabbed her foot and kicked it off and fell down to the other side, landing on her wrist. She held in a pained cry and scrambled to her feet. She grabbed the bags off the paved road and threw them into the bed of the truck

She climbed into the truck and shakily reached into her vest pockets, searching for the truck key. She looked through the review mirror and noticed the barrier could no longer withstand the pressure of the countless amounts of the dead pushing up against it and finally snapped.

She finally located the truck key and turned on the ignition as the walkers began to swarm around the truck. She shifted the gear into drive and sped off, heading back to the others at Hershel's farm.

**A/N: Well I really hope this chapter was to your liking. I tried to make it as entertaining and suspenseful as I could. Please, please drop a comment at the end of this. **


	12. Reunited

**A/N: So took me forever to write this chapter. Thanks to ****FanFicGirl10**** for reviewing. Please keep the reviews coming guys, I would really appreciate it. Make me feel a whole lot better. **

**Chapter 11: Reunited**

Kendall was twenty miles from Hershel's farm when it happened. Generally Kendall was a safe driver. Not once had she ever been in a car accident or ever got a speeding ticket. Her hands were always placed at ten and two and kept her attention directly on the road. Her father always told her, if she started to feel tired at the wheel, to pull over and take a small nap before hitting the road once again.

This was the one night she didn't heed his advice. She was desperate to get the supplies back to the others, but the blood loss was finally catching up to her. Slowly, she could feel herself drifting off at the wheel but would snap her eyes back open and try talking to herself. Unfortunately she wasn't so lucky. About a minute later her eyes finally shut and she slumped over the wheel, driving off the shoulder and into a small creek.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Daryl would be lying if he'd say he wasn't worried about Kendall or her pompous ass 'boyfriend' Jackson. Though he knew they were more than perfectly capable of handling themselves out there, but they should've returned back to camp earlier this afternoon. Now the sun was down and very late in the evening.

Since Kendall and Jackson left, they ran into a bit of a predicament. Daryl had spent most of his time sulking and venting his anger at the loss of Sophia and the argument he and Kendall had the previous day, Rick and Glenn went out to search for Hershel and bring him back to the farm, but had returned with a 'guest.'

From what Rick had explained to everyone, they ran into a bit of a situation and were ambushed by another group of survivors. One of the survivors Rick had brought back was known as Randall. Though one or more survivors managed to getaway and most likely inform the others of the situation, leaving the group at risk for a full scale war.

As much as he hated to admit it, they needed Kendall and Jackson to return. They were low on ammunition, and the ammunition they left behind wouldn't be enough to fend off a larger group of survivors. Daryl ran a hand through his hair in frustration and clenched his free hand into a fist and decked the young boy in the face once again.

As Randall pleaded for Daryl to stop, his pleas went unheard. Daryl was too lost in thought. He kept replaying the argument he and Kendall had. Damn her for doing this to him, for making him feel this way. He was a coward, a moron for saying such things to her. He knew she meant well and fairly enjoyed having her around. Now that she wasn't here for him to apologize, guilt was beginning to wash over.

Every so often he would step out of the barn to see if they had returned, but to his dismay they still hadn't arrived. He scowled when he heard Rick calling him and checked the chains on the boy before grabbing his jacket off the stack of hay and shut the barn door, walking back to the others.

"Something went wrong." Lori said anxiously. "They should've returned back by now."

Rick stepped out of Kendall and Jackson's tent and unfolded the map they left behind and placed it down on the hood of Carol's Cherokee. "Everyone just calm down," Rick reassured. "I'm sure they just ran into a slight situation, but just in case we'll head out about forty miles down the highway they traveled on and see if we can spot anything."

"We're wasting our time, fuel, supplies and not to mention we're risking the safety of our group searching for two people we barely even know." Shane said, irritably. "Hell Rick, for all we know they left us."

Rick stared at Shane. "They're not like that, Shane. They've clearly proven that. Kendall and Jackson could've easily turned their backs on us that day on the highway." Rick said. "Instead, they provided us with food, water and ammunition when we were in desperate need of supplies. They even risked their lives out there in the woods searing for Sophia, a child they didn't even know. They didn't have to, but they did. They're part of this group now whether anyone likes it or not. And I refuse to turn my back on those two when clearly we owe them our lives."

"Fine," Shane scowled, grabbing his rifle off the hood. "Forty miles and that's it. If we don't see anything we turn around and head back to the farm."

"Thank you." Rick said. "Daryl and Glenn you two will be heading out with Shane and I. Andrea, you'll watch over Randall until we get back. Everyone else, just sit tight for the time being. We'll return as soon as we can."

Everyone nodded and watched as Rick, Shane and Glenn loaded up in Carol's Cherokee, Daryl leading the way on his bike down the dark highway. They didn't have to travel long before Daryl noticed a pair of tire tracks that had apparently went off the road. He slowed down and signaled the others as he turned around till he came to a stop in front of the tracks.

"What's the matter?" Rick said. "You find something?"

"Yeah, tire tracks." Daryl said, pointing to the tracks with an arrow. "Must've lost control somehow and went off the shoulder."

"Those tracks could've belonged to anybody." Shane said. "No guaranteeing it was theirs."

"Only one way to find out," Rick said, tossing Glenn a flashlight.

To their horror, as they slowly descended down to the shallow creek they realized the tracks that went off the road indeed belonged to the truck Kendall and Jackson drove off with the previous day. "Dammit," Rick said as they jumped down into the creek. "Shane and Glen you two go around to the passenger's side. Daryl you come with me."

Shane shined the light into the window on the passenger's side and looked up at Rick. "It's just the girl." He said. "No sign of Jackson anywhere."

Rick nodded and yanked the door open to find Kendall slumped over the wheel. "Look at her, she's covered in blood!" Glenn panicked. "Was she bit?"

Shane kept his weapon trained on Kendall as Rick slowly reached inside and grabbed the back of her vest and pulled her back, checking for a pulse. "She's alive." Rick said relieved.

For one long, painful day Daryl had not the slightest idea she was going to return or if she was even still alive. He dreaded going to sleep the night before, hating himself for not going with her. She was right there, right in front of him and he couldn't move.

What he saw was enough to almost destroy him. Everything seemed so surreal. Her face was etched with pain and her body was covered in bruises, sweat and blood. She had dark circles under her eyes and her rigid breathing confirmed that she was having trouble breathing. Her long, straight hair was a complete mess and no longer in the ponytail she had worn the day she stormed out.

"Daryl!" Rick said in a loud voice.

Daryl snapped back into reality and looked at Rick. "What?"

"I said, let's get her out." He said.

Ever so slowly, he moved closer to her. He thought that if he moved to quickly, she might actually disappear. Shane and Glenn shined their lights on Rick and Daryl as they pulled Kendall out from the truck. Shane's eyes narrowed at the amount of blood that was on her seat. As they dragged Kendall up the creek and back to the highway, Shane jerked his rifle to the unconscious woman. Daryl and Rick halted their steps as they heard gun cock behind him and turned around to look at Shane.

"What the hell you think you're doing?" Daryl snarled. "Get that fucking gun off her."

"Check her now." Shane growled. "There's blood all over that truck. I'm not letting you two take her back to the farm if she's bitten. If she's bit, we'll end it right now. She won't feel a thing."

"Man, you're out of your god damn mind." Daryl growled.

"Shane, put the weapon down. Once we get back onto the highway we'll check her over, I promise." Rick said calmly. "You and Glenn clear out the truck and we'll meet you two back at the highway."

Shane's breathing began to pick up and his chest was beginning to rise and fall rapidly as he watched them drag her back to the highway. "You okay?" Glenn asked worriedly. Shane scowled and threw his rifle into the bed of the truck and grabbed the duffle bags, mumbling to himself.

"Jackson…"

Daryl and Rick stopped briefly on the shoulder and looked down at the woman who was beginning to come to. "Let's set her down here." Rick said. Daryl nodded and they gently lied her down onto the grass shoulder. "Kendall, if you can hear me I need you to tell me what happened."

Her brows knitted together at the sound of Rick's voice and slowly opened her eyes. Daryl's heart almost stopped as he watched her open her eyes. She looked like she was in pain and it killed him to see her like that. "Jackson?" Her voice was weak, but hopeful.

"No Kendall, its Rick. Daryl's here as well." Rick said, shaking his head. "You were in an accident."

Tears streamed down Kendall's face as she slowly began to remember the events that occurred earlier that day. "Jackson," She choked out between sobs. "Jackson's…gone."

Shane and Glenn placed the heavy duffle bags onto the ground as they overheard the conversation and slowly walked towards them. "Kendall," Rick whispered. "I need you to take a deep breath and calm down. We're going to get you some help, but first I need you to tell me if you were bitten?"

Kendall shook her head tiredly. "Side…wound." She said with a weak and unsteady voice.

"Okay, I'm just going to take a look, alright?" Rick said, reaching a hand towards her.

"Don't touch me!" She cried, recoiling from his touch. "Please, don't."

"She was bit Rick," Shane said taking a step forward. "Why else wouldn't she want you to take a look at it?"

Rick stood up and stepped in front of Shane. "Shane, back off." Rick warned.

Daryl and Glenn watched as Rick and Shane got into another heated argument and turned back his attention back to Kendall when he thought he heard her say something. "Raped..." She whispered, crying softly to herself. "He raped me."

Daryl's breathing hitched in his throat. During his childhood he grew up in an abusive household. Though he was wise enough to never hit, beat or rape a woman. And the fact that someone, her best friend; the man he let her go alone with, beat, raped and then left her out her for dead was enough to draw him over the edge.

"Jackson raped her?" Glenn asked in disbelief.

Rick and Shane stopped their argument when they overheard Glenn and turned to the others. Kendall wanted to shake her head no and tell them what happened, but a wave of nausea washed over her. She quickly rolled to her side regurgitated everything she had eaten that day. A pained cry escaped her lips and clutched her side.

Daryl firmly stared Kendall down. "We need to make sure you ain't bleeding to death. Show it to us." He was going to have to be firm with her if he was to make sure that she was okay, which he saw that she wasn't.

Kendall was reluctant, but allowed him to do so. She draped an arm over her eyes and sniffled back her tears as Daryl removed her vest and gently lifted the fabric away from her side. She winced as did Daryl and heard a gasp from the others.

"That looks pretty bad there Rick." Shane spoke, seeing the deep wound on her side. The skin around the wound was already turning a dark purple and blood began to seep a bit more freely now that the fabric had been removed.

"At this rate she ain't gonna make it." Daryl said. "Cauterizing the wound is her best bet."

"No," Kendall mumbled tiredly, shaking her head. "I can make it."

"You'll bleed out and die before we get you back to Hershel's. I need you alive." Rick said shaking his head. "Daryl, you know how?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, hurts like a son of a bitch though." He replied, reaching for a lighter and small knife from his bike. "Just keep her down."

Everyone nodded and took their positions. Kendall's breathing started to pick up as she watched Daryl sterilize and run the blade over the flame. A small whimper escaped her lips as Daryl placed the lighter down and lifted her shirt. She then quickly shut her eyes, clenched her fists and braced herself for another round of pain that was about to be inflicted onto her body once more.

Kendall's body arched from the pain and her screams echoed throughout the night sky as he continuously pressed the blade into her side, sealing off the wound. "Shut her up," Daryl snarled. "She'll draw every walker around."

"What do you want us to do?" Glenn panicked. "It's not like we can just hit her upside the head and knock her unconscious."

"Cover her fucking mouth you idiot!" Daryl snapped.

Glenn reluctantly did as he was told and placed a hand over her mouth to silence her screams. "Sorry," Glenn apologized. After Daryl finished cauterizing her wound, Kendall passed out. The pain on her faced had vanished, but now she looked exhausted.

Glenn's eyes instantly landed on Daryl, but Daryl wasn't paying attention to the young man. "Is she…dead?" He asked.

"No," Rick replied, slowly picking her up. "She's just sleeping. She's going to be out for a while. Load everything into Cherokee and let's head back. I'm sure the others are worried."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"They're back!" Carl chirped happily.

"I don't see Kendall and Jackson's truck." T-Dog said woeful. "I guess they didn't find them."

Everyone stood up as they saw Daryl and the others flying down the dirt road towards the farm and come to a stop. "Any luck?" Dale asked Daryl.

Daryl kicked his kickstand down and jumped off his bike. "Quit standing around and get that old man out here now." Daryl said running towards the backseat of the Cherokee. Daryl yanked open the car door and took Kendall from Rick's hands.

Lori clamped a hand over her mouth at the sight. "What happened to her?" Lori cried.

"Was she bit?" Carl asked stepping forward.

"Everybody calm down, there was an accident." Rick said, climbing up the steps. "She has a stab wound to the side and lost a quite a bit blood and must've passed out at the wheel on her way back."

"Where's Jackson?" Dale asked curiously. "Was he the one that did this to her?"

"He wasn't at the scene when we arrived." Shane said. "We won't know much until she wakes up."

Hershel opened the screen door and gestured them inside to the second floor. He opened the spare bedroom and Daryl stepped into the room. "Was she bitten?" Hershel asked, taking the supply bag from Rick's hands.

"No," Daryl replied as he gently laid Kendall down onto the bed. "The son of a bitch stabbed her."

"Watch your mouth." Hershel warned, assessing her condition.

"She also has a gunshot wound on her left thigh." Rick said.

Hershel gently turned her thigh to inspect the damage of the gunshot wound. Patricia grabbed a pair of surgical scissors off the silver tray and handed it over to Hershel. "I'd appreciate it if you three would give us some space and wait downstairs with the rest of your group while we tend to her wounds."

Daryl was reluctant to leave to Kendall's side, even for a second. This was his fault. None of this would've happened if he'd just gone with her in the first place. He would've cut the man's balls off and fed him to the walkers for what he did to her. Rick put a hand on Daryl's shoulder and led him out of the room so Hershel could tend to Kendall.

Everyone waited downstairs news on Kendall for what seemed like hours, discussing the situation with Randall and not to mention the possible threat with Jackson. They feared for their safety, but the situation with Kendall and Jackson left many pieces of the puzzle unsolved. They just prayed Kendall would wake up soon.

Carol noticed Daryl was concerned for Kendall, which brought a small pain in her chest. Since the search for her daughter Sophia, Carol had started to develop feelings for the man. There was a side of him she didn't want him to stop showing, a side that Ed had never bothered showing her. But since that young woman came along, she'd constantly be in the way of her and Daryl's new found relationship.

Every time she'd try to strike up a conversation with him, he'd just scowl and walk away from her. Not bothering to give her another glance. She knew Sophia's death wasn't the only thing on his mind. Carol took a quick glance over at Daryl who was impatiently waiting for word on Kendall. She then turned her attention to the others who were rummaging through the supply bags Kendall brought back and frowned.

"Yo Daryl, looks like Kendall thought of you while she was up there." T-Dog chuckled, tossing him a rectangular box. "There's got to be at least a dozen of those boxes in this bag."

Daryl caught the box with ease and smiled to himself as he pulled an arrow out of the box. "Stupid woman," He muttered.

"Yeah, well she should have thought less on those damn arrows and filled the bag with more ammunition." Shane growled.

"What're you talking about Shane?" Rick said. "She brought us enough to last us a good while. We should thank her when she wakes up."

Shane was about to open his mouth to speak but their attention snapped up to the second floor when they heard footsteps coming down the hall. "Well?" Daryl asked "How is she?"

"She lost a lot of blood and I started her on an IV for dehydration. I gave her a mild sedative to numb the pain for now." Hershel began. "I started her on a round of antibiotics in case she happened to develop an infection, especially on that side wound. Now if you'll don't mind, I need to discuss something with Rick, in private."

Everyone nodded and left the room, except for Daryl. Instead while the others headed outside he walked upstairs towards Kendall's room, but stopped when his hand touched the doorknob. He gritted his teeth as he overheard Rick and Hershel's conversation. She was raped. His whole body was shaking in anger. He literally couldn't control himself and could barely breathe. He gripped the doorknob. He couldn't go in there like this. He needed to at least try and be calm otherwise he would most likely rip the whole room apart.

Thoughts of Kendall sobbing, telling him she was raped was running through his head. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. It didn't work, so he continued on. After a couple minutes his heart rate had returned to normal, but he could still see red. He turned the knob and walked into the room and shut the door quietly behind him.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Every inch of her body ached like crazy. Kendall moaned as she lifted an arm to rub the sleep off from her eyes and winced at the sudden pain in her face. Suddenly, she could feel everything. The IV plug into her right arm, the scratchy gauze on her left thigh, the brace on her left hand, and the searing pain in her right side.

Kendall was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack as she was trying to recall her whereabouts, but calmed down as the memories slowly began to flood back. A pained groan escaped her lips as she slowly began to sit up and removed the IV from her arm.

The woman's body instantly stiffened as the wooden door screeched open with a light push as Lori made her way into the small bedroom. She quickly placed the tray down into the nightstand and flew to Kendall's side. "What're you doing?" She cried as both of her hands lightly grabbed both of Kendall's shoulders.

"Sitting up," She stated flatly.

Lori's hands gently pushed on her shoulders, signaling her to lie back down. "Honey, you need to rest and not move so much."

"No, what I need is to sit up." Kendall said, irritably.

Lori let out a sigh in defeat and allowed Kendall to do as she pleased. "Let me go ask the girls if there are any pillows you can lean on." She said. "I'll let the others know you're awake."

Kendall shook her head and gripped the white sheets. "No," Kendall whispered. "Don't tell anyone I'm awake right now. I promise I'll fill you all in, but first I need a favor from you?"

Lori sat down at her bedside. "Sure sweetie, what do you need?"

Kendall swallowed and licked her chapped lips. "In my tent there are two duffle bags with Jackson and my belongings, could you bring them to me?"

Lori smiled and reached under the bed, pulling out the bags. "We moved all your belongings in here last night while you were asleep." She said, reaching into the bag and pulled out a light green box. "Is this what you're looking for?"

Kendall nodded and lowered her gaze to her hands feeling ashamed. "Who told you, Rick?"

"Rick didn't tell anyone else." Lori reassured. "He just wanted me to be by your side for support."

Kendall scoffed and grabbed the box from Lori's hands. "I don't need you all treating me different because I was raped." She said, popping a few pills into her mouth. "So do me a favor and keep quiet about this. It never happened."

Lori frowned and shook her head slightly. "All you've done is helped us." Lori said. "For once let us help you. This is something we can't just sweep under the rug. Look at what Jackson did to you."

Kendall's eyes widen as she stared at Lori. "Jackson had nothing to do with what happened to me." Kendall said in disbelief. "Is that what you'll think? That he's some kind of monster that would lay his hands on me?"

"He wasn't in the truck when the guys found you." Lori defended. "We just assumed."

Kendall threw the covers off from her body and pushed herself from up off the bed, but instantly regretted it. The drugs still had not left her system, which made her head spin. "Jackson wasn't in the truck because he was killed." Kendall said her voice breaking as she dug through her duffle bag for a fresh pair of clothes.

Slowly, Lori stood up and watched as Kendall struggled to dress herself. "Please, let me help you." Lori spoke quietly. Kendall dropped her arms to her side and nodded. Lori grabbed the shirt from Kendall's hand and slid her arms through the sleeves and buttoned the shirt.

After Lori managed to help Kendall get dressed the two slowly walked down the stairs where the others were. They all turned their attention to Kendall and stood up from their seats. "I know I look like hell." Kendall muttered.

"You shouldn't be out of bed right now." Dale said. "You've lost a lot of blood and are severely injured."

Hershel stepped into the room and Kendall inwardly groaned. "He's right." Hel agreed. "You're in no shape to be roaming around the farm. You'll end up ripping your stitches."

Kendall smiled weakly and clutched her side. "I appreciate your concern for me Mr. Greene, but I can handle myself from here. Thank you for hospitality as well as your generosity," She said, taking a glance around the room and noticed Rick, Shane and Daryl were missing. "Where are the others?"

"They're in the barn," Glenn spoke up. "Interrogating Randall."

"Randall?" Kendall whispered to herself. She limped over to the screen door and pushed it open. "Where are you going?" Andrea asked. "We still don't know what happened to you the other night."

"I want to see." Kendall said, her voice emotionless. "I promise I will fill you all in as to what happened, just stay here."

And with those final words Kendall stepped out of the house and slowly made her way towards the barn. As she got closer to the barn she could hear Shane yelling and someone pleading for them to stop. As much pain as she was in, Kendall increased her steps until she was standing at the doorway. She gaped at the sight. "What the hell are y'all doing!?"


	13. Venting

A/N: Thanks to those who've reviewed and followed Bleak. Please make sure to drop a review at the end of the chapter, I would really like to know if you're enjoying it. I kinda feel that most of you aren't. Just give me a little reassurance. Thanks!

Chapter 13: Venting

"What the hell are y'all doing!?" Kendall shouted, stepping into the barn. "Have you three lost your damn minds?"

Rick, Shane and Daryl wheeled around to see an angry Kendall standing in the doorway. Daryl lowered his fist and released his tight grip he had on Randall's collar and took a few steps back away from the boy. Rick sheathed his knife and cautiously advanced the young woman. "Kendall, you should be in bed resting." Rick said. "I'll explain everything once you've gotten back on your feet."

Kendall glared at Rick. "As you can see I'm pretty much on my damn feet right now Rick."Kendall spat. "Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on, now."

Shane let out a frustrated sigh and walked over to Kendall, grabbing her arm to lead her out of the barn and back to Hershel's house. "Come on." He said.

Kendall's eyes widen at his touch and she lifted her hand into the air and slapped him across the face. Kendall winced from the pain in her side and held onto the doorframe for support. The force was so strong Shane immediately released his grip on her and brought his hand to the right side of his face.

"Don't touch me, ever." Kendall hissed.

Daryl couldn't help but stare at Kendall. Since he's known her, he's never seen that look in her eyes, the look of hatred and despair. Her beautiful brown eyes no longer held compassion and love, they were cold and dark. Something he didn't want to see in her. Whatever happened up there completely changed her.

"Please, help me." Randall pleaded with Kendall. "They're going to kill me."

"You shut up." Daryl warned, pointing an angry finger at him.

Kendall took a quick glance at the boy before turning her attention back to Rick for an explanation. "Let's step outside." Rick said, gesturing them out the barn. After Shane closed the barn doors and they were pretty much out of ear shot from Randall, that's when Rick consented to discuss the nature of their crisis.

"Releasing Randall could put the group's safety at risk." Rick said.

"How so," Kendall shrieked with frustration. "You three practically beat the living crap out of him. I highly doubt he'll come crawling back for more. In his state he won't last more than a day out there on his own before a walker gets to him."

"That's not the problem." Daryl said.

Kendall pounded the hood of the Cherokee in frustration. "Then what is!?" She growled.

"There are others." Shane said.

Kendall stood there, grim faced. "How many are we talking about, five or ten survivors at most?" She asked. "Christ Shane it's nothing we can't handle."

"About thirty survivors heavily armed with automatics. Daryl said. The air seemed to freeze as it came out of his mouth.

"We were shot down by Randall and some of his people that night you and Jackson left to scavenge. They wanted to take over this farm." Rick said.

Kendall grew warier every second of their conversation. Kendall could feel her blood pressure rising. Her heart pounded; her palms were covered in sweat.

Shane stared at Kendall. "If we release Randall there's a good chance he could bring his group back to this farm and slaughter us all." He said.

Kendall shook her head. "I can't do this." She said, turning back to Hershel's house. "I can't…I won't have any more blood my hands. Do what y'all think is best for this group, I don't care anymore."

"Kendall, wait." Rick called. "We still need to talk about what happened with you and Jackson the other night."

Kendall stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to Rick, her eyes hardening. "You know what Rick, I'm tired you all accusing Jackson for a crime he did _not_ commit." Kendall snarled. "Since you're all so eager to know what happened, we ran into another group of survivors who didn't take no for an answer. Long story short I managed to get my best friend killed because of my stupidity. No worries though, I took care of the problem. You're welcome."

Rick opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped. He hadn't thought of a single good response to her explanation and one wasn't coming anytime soon. Daryl gave Rick a swift pat in the back and followed after Kendall. They were about a mile out from the farm when he decided to speak up. "Will you fucking stop?" He said, increasing his pace.

"No one asked you to follow me." Kendall said. "Leave me alone and head back to the others."

Daryl let out a growl and grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back towards him. Kendall let out a yelp and grabbed a knife from her pouch and spun around, holding it to his throat. "Keep your damn hands off me or so help me I will slit your fucking throat."

"You won't do it." Daryl frowned. "You're nothing but talk."

Kendall scowled and pressed the blade against his throat with more force. "What makes you think I won't do it, huh?" She asked. "You don't know a damn thing about me."

"I know you lost your husband and daughter. I know you're a woman of high faith for some god damn reason, but I can tell in your eyes you're starting to think different. I can tell in your face that you're hurting, not from the bruising and wounds on your body but from losing your best friend." He said.

Kendall tried her hardest from breaking down. She didn't want Daryl to see her like this. The hand she was using to hold the blade against Daryl's neck was beginning to shake rapidly to the point the blade had nicked him. He cautiously raised a hand to lower hers down to her side. "Let it out." He said.

Kendall's head fell forward and she let out a shaky sigh. Her hand flew to her forehead and rubbed lightly as she fought back her anger and tears. "I can't do this anymore Daryl. I can't keep pretending everything is going to be okay when it isn't. She cried. "Marshall would be disgusted with me for my behavior. My daughter would be frightened of me and Jackson would be so upset with me if I shredded a tear for him."

Daryl shrugged. "So," He said. "You need to let it out or you won't stay focused. I'm sure he won't mind this one time. Just don't make a habit of it."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm pissed, hurt and angry? That even on his last breath he told me not to blame myself for his death, and I somehow do. That I feel sick that I was helpless to prevent his death. That I'm scared out of my damn mind, what the hell do you want to hear!?" She shrieked.

Kendall couldn't hold herself together any longer. Both of her hands covered her eyes as she cried. She could feel her entire body shake as her breaths came few and far in between. Daryl inwardly sighed and readjusted his bow and wrapped his arms around her. Even though she flinched at his touch, she let him hold her. Daryl let her cry into his shoulder until her body stopped shaking and she could stand properly on her own. "What happened?

Kendall pulled away and rubbed her eyes frantically as she tried to wipe the remaining tears away. She walked over to tree and slumped against the large trunk. "You got time for another long story?"

"We ain't going anywhere anytime soon."

For the first time all afternoon Kendall didn't have to muster a smile and began her story. During some part of the story Daryl sat down on the grassy field next to Kendall and clung to her every word. He felt nauseated towards the end. What they did to her was unforgivable. "His voice is inside my head, haunting me every second of the day. I can still feel his breath against my neck and the thought of him touching me disgusts me. The scars he left on my body are permanent, constantly reminding me of my failure and how weak I was to defend myself."

Daryl glanced at Kendall. "I should've gone with you."

Kendall sniffled and wiped her tears. "To be honest Daryl, I'm glad you didn't come. If you did, they would've killed you to. It's bad enough I lost Jackson, but I wouldn't know how to face the group if I returned without you as well." She spoke quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah,"

"As I watched Jackson's eyes lose their light, something inside me snapped. Like the person I once was just vanished into thin air, bringing out this horrible demon within me. I felt cold and numb. I wanted every fiber in that man to suffer, just like he made Jackson." She said. "I made it to where he was unable to run or crawl. He pleaded for his life as I shot the glass allowing all the walkers to feed on him. What I'm trying to ask. Do you think I'm a bad person for what I did? Should I have spared the man?

Daryl scoffed. "No," He said. "You were too soft on him. I would've cut off his balls and shoved them down his throat before feeding him to those damn things."

Kendall smiled to herself and took a quick glance at Daryl. "I never thanked you for saving my life the other night."

Daryl stood up and offered her a helping hand which she kindly accepted. "No since in letting you die out there."

"Thank you for listening to me." She said. "I needed to get that off my chest."

Daryl shrugged and turned to leave. The two of them walked back to the others in silence, Daryl checking over his shoulder constantly to make sure Kendall was keeping up. He slowed his pace down a bit till they were walking side by side. "About the other day-" He started.

Kendall shook her head and waved his pre-apology off. "I'm done being mad about what happened between us the other day. We would've gotten over it eventually. I just don't want to waste time and energy being mad over something so pointless, it doesn't do us any bit of good." She said. "Besides, we have a bigger problem at hand don't you think?"

"I guess."

When they made it back to Hershel's house, Kendall thought it would be wise to apologize for her behavior. Daryl opened the screen door, allowing her to enter first. "We were starting to get worried." Rick said.

Kendall nodded and slowly took a seat on one of the empty chairs in the room. "I wanted to apologize to everyone for my attitude earlier this afternoon. It was childish and very unprofessional and for that I'm truly sorry. I was angry for what happened and I shouldn't have taken it out on any of you when all you were doing was trying to help." She said. "I know you're all curious as to what happened to me, but I can assure you Jackson had no part in it. I'm sad to say he was killed in action by another group of survivors. We refused to hand over any supplies we scavenged and things got out of hand, but rest assured the threats have been taken care of for our group's safety and as well for others out there."

Everyone in the room remained silent for a while, until Andrea decided to speak up. "I think we should throw a service for Jackson." Andrea said glancing around the room. "It would be the right thing to do."

Kendall stood up and slowly made her way towards the staircase."It's custom for the US Military to do a Three-Volley Salute when we lose a service member." She said. "The gunshots would just attract any wondering walkers towards us. I vote no service."

"I'm sure he'll understand if we skip the volley salute." Rick said.

"Do what you will. You all can decide amongst yourselves." Kendall said walking upstairs. "Rick a moment of your time, please?"

Rick nodded and followed Kendall upstairs to the spare bedroom. "I thought you should be the first to know since you're the group's leader." Kendall said, shutting the door behind her. "I discovered something interesting while I was up there, something my commander didn't inform any of us when this epidemic took place. The group we ran into showed no indications they were bit by walkers when we killed them. They died from severe blood loss. Yet, they still reanimated into one of those _things_ meaning we're all infected with the virus."

"I know."


	14. Decision

A/N: Thanks to Guest, FanficGril10, Dixon'sBikerBabe (Fanfiction) and Flaming Aura (Quizilla) for reviewing! And not to mention the several people who have favorited/followed Bleak. Please keep the reviews coming everyone, I love to hear what you'll think. It really brightens my day. ^^

Chapter 14: Decision

Kendall gave Rick a questioning look, and then paced around the room. "You knew this whole time and yet you failed to mention this vital piece of information to either me or Jackson?" She said. "Do the others even know?"

"No," Rick replied. "I think it's best if they didn't know."

Kendall wheeled on him, furious. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you even listening to a single word that's coming out of your mouth? She said. "You're this group's leader, Rick. How can we trust you if you keep us in the dark? They have every right to know what's going on here. You need to say something and if you won't I will, for them."

Rick marched up to Kendall. "You're going to keep quiet about this," He said. "I'll tell them when the time is right."

Kendall glared at Rick. "Yeah and when will that be Rick? When one of our own gets shot to death or dies from natural causes and springs back to life then attacks a member of this group. I don't think so." She said. "You tell them or I will. You have a few days to figure how you're going to break the news to them and if you happen to back out, I guess I'll be the one to step up and be the bearer of bad news."

"I'm just doing what I think is best for this group." He said.

Kendall sighed heavily. "That's not what you're doing." She said. "If you continue to hide things like this from them all you'll manage to do is turn them against you. And I sure as hell refuse to have Shane leader of this group, that man's a safety risk."

"You really think that about Shane?" Rick said.

Kendall nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I do." She said. "You're a smart man Rick, I'm pretty sure back in your career day's you've seen that look in many people you've encountered. He murdered Otis. You can see it in eyes. This group is not safe with him here. I'm afraid he'll get you alone and take you out and then come back with some lame ass story like he did with Otis."

"I won't let that happen." Rick said as his hand touched the door knob, but he didn't turn it. "While I'm here, I wanted to thank you. You went through hell bringing back those supplies. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

Kendall felt her head nodding. "Me too," She whispered. Rick turned the knob and opened the door but Kendall stopped him from exiting. "One more thing before you go, how did you know we were all infected?"

"We hoped that the CDC had discovered a cure." Rick began. "One of our own was infected and thought it would be his best chance. He never made it there, but we continued on in hopes of finding answers. We met Dr. Jenner who at the time was the only survivor who decided to stay behind. I was foolish to believe the CDC was safe when it wasn't. Before the place was set to 'decontaminate' Jenner explained to me whatever it was, we all carried it."

Kendall's face had gone pale. "So even the CDC couldn't even manage to discover a cure. No one has a clue as to what triggered the virus." She spoke quietly. "Don't you see Rick, there's no hope for any of us. We're condemned to spend the rest of our lives rotting in this hell hole."

Rick shut the door with more force than necessary and stood in front of Kendall. "That's not going to happen. _We're_ not going to let that happen." Rick said. "Somewhere out there, someone must have answers, I know it. We just have to keep pushing, just a little longer."

A pained groan escaped Kendall's lips as she sat down at the edge of the bed. "You can leave now." She said. "I'm exhausted. I need some time to absorb all of this."

"Take all the time you need." Rick said as he opened the door once more. "But I could really use your help with this Randall situation."

Kendall closed her eyes and sighed. "I'll consider it, but no guarantees." She said. "Now please, just leave me be."

Once Rick left the room, Kendall removed her shirt and pants and stood directly in front of the mirror. Since she woke up she hadn't had a chance to check the severity of the damage left on her body. Kendall glanced down at her body, seeing the fresh bruises and scratches from the day before, the welts still visible on her torso and face. She winced as her hands skimmed over her hips. Bruises in the shape of finger prints, his finger prints were clearly visible on her light skin.

She no longer recognized the woman standing in the reflection. It was like she was a completely different person now. Kendall gripped the edge of the dresser so tightly she thought she would scrape the varnish clean off. She literally felt disgusted with herself. "Get out of my head you bastard." She muttered.

No longer able to look at herself, Kendall pushed herself away from the mirror and flipped the light switch off before slipping into bed, hoping to get a decent night's sleep. Though sleep didn't come as fast as she hoped, she just lied in bed thinking about various things that needed to be attended to, mostly concerning that boy Randall.

As for the others, everyone was sound asleep except for Daryl. He just lied on the floor staring up at the ceiling. Even though she was back and safe inside the house he still couldn't help but worry about her. Growing in frustration he threw the covers off and quietly stepped out of the house to take over watch.

Signaling Dale he was taking over, he pulled out his knife from its sheath and grabbed a piece of small fire wood lying beside the steps of the house and began carving to pass the time.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall stared blankly out the bedroom window, fiddling with Jackson's BDU cap as everyone gathered outside for Jackson's service. Since she arrived in Atlanta, not a day had passed that the sun wasn't out. Instead the sky decided to honor the sad occasion with dark clouds and light rain.

Kendall turned away from the window and grabbed her BDU cap off the dresser and crossed the room quickly and pulled the door open. When she opened the door she was surprised to see Daryl standing on the other side. "How long have you been standing there?" Kendall asked curiously.

"Not long," He replied. "Rick wanted me to come get you."

"You don't say." Kendall mumbled stepping around him but was halted when Daryl grabbed her arm. She looked up into his eyes with confusion. "What're you doing? We don't have time for this."

"Hey," he began, his voice little more than a whisper in the empty hall. Kendall turned to face him, confusion evident in her face.

"Yes, Daryl?" Her words came out harsher than she intended, but she didn't care.

Daryl bit the inside of his cheek and reached slowly inside his pocket, trying to will away the subtle flush that had crept onto his cheeks. "I made this…for you last night." He said, his voice low and even as he slowly spoke the words he'd rehearsed to himself over and over again. He held out his hand out the woman in front of him. "I noticed you'd always carry around that cross everywhere you'd go, but you didn't come back with it that night we found you…"

Kendall stared at Daryl, utterly at loss for words. Was he doing this? Was he really saying these things to her? "I couldn't sleep last night…I got bored and thought you might like a new one. It's pretty shitty, so if you don't like it you could just throw it away."

She took the string necklace from Daryl in awe. It really was quiet simple, and pretty worthless as he mentioned, but it was the most beautiful necklace she'd ever seen. If she'd been handed a necklace made of pearls, diamonds or rubies, she couldn't have been more pleased. It was the thought itself that really made the difference.

"T-Thank you," She said in disbelief. Daryl nodded once, something that could almost pass for a small smile playing across his lips. She wanted to cry.

"I have no use for it, myself...but I don't think you should just give up something you've spent your entire life believing over something you had no control over. Shit happens."

Kendall chuckled at his logic and removed her cap, draping the necklace over her head. "It's beautiful," She smiled. "I'll take good care of it, I promise."

Daryl inwardly sighed in relief. There, he had done it. It wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be, but he was relived it was over. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was never good as expressing his emotions, so this was a huge step, even for him. All he wanted was to see her smile again, the way she used to.

Kendall clapped his back and they headed towards the others for Jackson's service. She kneeled down to Jackson's burial spot and gently placed his cap down into the pile of rocks before taking a few steps back and removed her cap, bowing her head. "Let us pray: We commend our brother Jackson to you, Lord. Now that he has passed from this life,  
may he live on in your presence, in your mercy and love. Forgive whatever sins he may have committed through human weakness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Amen," Everyone said in unison.

"You were my best friend." Kendall began. "It's hard to believe you're gone. I'm having a difficult time accepting it. I feel like I reverted back to my old self when Marshall and Riley passed. I'm sure if you're listening to me right now you'd be angry with me and slap some more since into me." She smiled. "Though you were right about one thing, I'm not alone. These people are fantastic, and I couldn't ask for better friends. I think I'm going to be okay now, so you don't have to worry anymore. Watch over us, and try not to give Marshall and Riley a hard time while you're up there." Kendall placed her cap back on and turned to Rick. "I'm in."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Daryl and Kendall stepped into the small shack where Randall was currently being held. The young man's head snapped up at their footsteps and his breathing became rapid. "Remove the blindfold and tape, please." Kendall said, placing a chair in the middle of the room and took a seat.

Daryl nodded and did as Kendall requested. He winced from the harsh light emitting from the door and focused his attention on the woman sitting before him. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I should have any part of this." She said. I'm not too keen on the idea since my job before this was to protect you people from terrorists. Though from what I've heard from my people, you're no better than the people I defended this country from young man."

"I swear, I-"

Kendall's eyes hardened and held her hand up in protest. "Shut up," She warned. "Something struck me as curious last night concerning your group. Now my decision on you depends whether or not you tell me the truth, and I'll be straightforward, I can tell when a person lies. So please, don't waste my damn time."

The boy trembled slightly at her words and swallowed nervously. "Now, this is just a ballpark figure but by all means correct me if I'm wrong. You group couldn't be too far from where we're located, thirty to forty miles at best." She said. "But my question to you Randall is how far your group is willing to travel to scavenge."

Randall averted his gaze from her and remained silent. Sighing in aggravation, Kendall stood up and drew a knife from her pouch and stalked towards the boy. "No, no, no." He pleaded. "Please,"

"If you think my friend behind me was good at causing you pain, you haven't felt nothing yet honey." She said. "When you're stationed at various parts of the country you tend to pick up on some pretty gruesome things. I can guarantee you I can get you to talk in a matter of seconds. Now spit it out, how far?"

"I-It just depends." He stammered. "Most cities around here have been wiped clean, so we've had to travel further."

Kendall narrowed her eyes and stepped on his bad leg, causing him to cry out in pain. "How much farther," She said. "One, two hundred miles?"

Randall gritted his teeth from the pain and met her gaze. "E-Every time the camp runs low he sends twelve of us out to scavenge. From there, we split into two groups on his orders and head into different directions to see what we can gather." He said. "He normally doesn't like to stray too far from camp."

"Who's he?" Kendall said as she added more weight to his leg. Randall shook his head fiercely, pleading for her to stop. He already violated the his rules on telling them how many members there were in their group, but if he gave his name surely they would kill him if he happened to return. "I-I can't." He said. "They'll kill me."

Kendall frowned. Removing her foot from his leg, she grabbed him by the collar. With lightning speed she slammed his back against the wall and pressed her pistol to his head. Daryl's eyes widen. He didn't even have time to blink to notice what the hell happened. "Stop playing games with me you little shit." She hissed. "You have to the count of three to give me his name or I'll pull this damn trigger."

"Please,"

"One,"

"I don't know,"

"Two,"

Kendall cocked her gun and the boy realized she wasn't bluffing. She was going to pull the trigger. Before she had time to complete the last word, he caved.

"IVAN!" He cried. "His name is Ivan!"

Kendall went pale. It was just as she suspected, this boy was part of Ivan's group. She released her grip on the boy shirt, letting him fall onto the ground with a thud. Daryl clenched his fists and took a few angry steps towards him. Kendall held up a hand signaling Daryl to back off. "I've made my decision." She whispered. "Death,"

A/N: Meh, was going to add more, but I'm making this into a cliffhanger. Reviews please, the more reviews, the faster you can read the next chapter. ^^


	15. Valediction

A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone. To be honest, I've been working on my other works and just completed one and started another. So this story has been on the bottom of my list and was greatly considering dropping it, but some awesome person messaged me this morning and claimed they loved it…giving me the hopes to continue writing it.

I'm guessing the lack of comments kind of had me disappointed, but thanks to those who've commented throughout the beginning. I appreciate it.

Anywhoo, reviews please! ^^

Chapter 15: Valediction

**RECAP:**

"IVAN!" He cried. "His name is Ivan!"

Kendall went pale. It was just as she suspected, this boy was part of Ivan's group. She released her grip on the boy shirt, letting him fall onto the ground with a thud. Daryl clenched his fists and took a few angry steps towards him. Kendall held up a hand signaling Daryl to back off. "I've made my decision." She whispered. "Death,"

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Randall stared at Kendall in sheer horror. "No, no, no, you can't." He pleaded. "Please, you have to reconsider. You can't let them kill me."

Kendall could feel her face getting hot. "Reconsider? Your group's leader murdered my best friend, shot him in cold blood." She shouted. "And he didn't even stop there! Do you know what he did to me? Do you know!?"

Randall shook his head. "Please, please. You gotta believe me." He pleaded. "I ain't like that. I'm not like them. I can contribute to your group, just don't kill me."

"My decision is irrevocable," Kendall said. "You're a threat to this group. You shot at my people and tried to take over this farm. I cannot afford to let you roam free and bring back an ensemble and have my people's blood scattered all over this farm."

Kendall sighed deeply and headed for the door, but stopped when Randall spoke. "You can't do this!" He shouted. "You're a solider for the military, you-"

"You shut up!" Kendall thrust her finger in Randall's face. "As of today I am no longer a number, a tool for the US Military. They abandoned me and my partner just like everyone else. You're a threat and I'm doing what is right, and that's protecting the people I care about."

Daryl grabbed Kendall's arm and pulled her out of the shed, locking the door behind him. "You alright?" He asked.

"I'm making the correct choice, right?" Kendall asked. "If we allow him to leave this farm, we'll die. We're not the bad guys, they are."

Daryl nodded. "You made the right choice." He said. "Come on. Let's head back to the others."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"So how do we do this?" Glenn asked, taking a look around at the group. "Just take a vote?"

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked.

"How about majority rules?" Lori said,

"Well, let's just see where everybody stands." Rick said. "Then we can talk through the options."

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward." Shane said.

"Killing him, right?" Dale said. "I mean why bother even taking a vote? It's clear which way the winds blowing."

"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know." Rick said.

"Well I can tell you it's a small group, maybe just me and Glenn." Dale said.

Glenn stared up at Dale. "Look, I-I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time, but this-"

"They've got you scared," Dale interrupted.

"He's not one of us," Glenn defended. "And we've-we've already lost too many people already."

"How about you, do you agree with this?" He pointed at Maggie.

Maggie looked around at the group. "Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" She asked.

"Just another mouth to feed," Daryl said.

"It may be a lean winter," Hershel said.

"We could ration better," Lori said. "And Jackson's no longer here. It would be an even trade."

Kendall scoffed at Lori's harsh words and shook her head in disbelief. How could she think so little of him, and simply replace him with some punk ass kid who didn't deserve to see the light of day.

"Well, he could be an asset." Dale said. "Give him a chance to prove himself."

"Put him to work?" Glenn asked.

"We're not letting him walk around." Rick said,

"We could put an escort on him." Maggie said.

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane said.

"I will," Dale said.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy." Rick said.

"He's right," Lori agreed. "I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up."

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles and sentence him to hard labor." Andrea said,

"Look, say we let him join us, right?" Shane said. "Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's _nice_. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his thirty men."

"I'm with Shane on this," Kendall said. "Thirty against to let's say twelve of us in combat, excluding some women and children will guarantee an instant failure. We'll burn through all the ammunition before we even make a dent. If we eliminate the threat, we won't have to worry about having a full scale war on our hands. It a win win."

"So the answer is to kill him, to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt?" Dale said in disbelief. "If we do this, we're saying there is no hope, rule of law is dead. There is no civilization."

"Could you drag him further out?" Hershel asked. "Leave him like you planned?"

"You barely came back this time," Lori said. "There are walkers. You could break down. Y-You could get lost."

"Or get ambushed," Dale said.

"They're right," Glenn said. "We should not put our own people at risk.

"If you go through with it, how would you do it?" Patricia said. "Would he suffer?"

"We could hang him, right?" Shane said. "Just snap his neck."

"I thought about that," Rick said, "Shooting may be more humane."

"And what about the body?" T-Dog asked. "What do we do with that, do we bury him?"

"Hold on, hold on." Dale intervened. "You're talking about this like it's already been decided."

"You've been talking all day, going around in circles." Daryl said. "You just wanna go around in circles again?"

"This is a young man's life!" Dale shouted. "And it is worth more than a five-minute conversation! Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him, Rick and now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?"

"We all know what needs to be done." Shane said.

"No, Dale is right." Rick said. "We can't leave any stone unturned here, we have a responsibility-"

"So what's the other solution, Rick?" Kendall said irritably. "Daryl's right. We're going around in circles, again. You're for it one moment and against the next. We need to come up with a solid decision, and quick."

"So let's talk it out!" Dale said.

"Stop it, just stop it." Carol said. "I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this. Please decide either of you, both of you, but leave me out."

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself," Dale said. "There's no difference."

"All right, that's enough." Rick said. "Anybody that wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance."

Everyone in the room remained silent at Rick's words. After a few moments of silence, Dale stepped forwards. "You once said we don't kill the living." Dale said to Rick.

"Well that was before the living tried to kill us." Rick said.

"And you," Dale said to Kendall. "You took an oath when you first enlisted. You swore to protect and serve your country. You're no killer. You're a decent human being with a loving heart that cares for people. You really want to go through with your decision and throw everything you've worked so hard for out the window?"

Kendall sighed deeply. "I'm doing what I believe is right, and that's protecting this group from any oncoming threat." Kendall said. "That boy belongs to that group who killed one of our own; my best friend. He is no better than those people. If he's released, we're all dead. I'm not backing down on my decision, end of story."

"But don't you see, if we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead. And this new world is ugly. It's…harsh. It's a survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't want to live in and I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please, let's just do what's right." Dale said. "Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?"

"He's right," Andrea said. "We should try to find another way."

"Anybody else?" Rick asked.

Everyone remained silent. "Are y'all gonna watch too?" Dale asked. "No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a party to it." Dale stormed off, but stopped beside Daryl for a brief moment. "This group _is_ broken."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~ **

The following evening, Rick, Shane, Daryl and Kendall grabbed Randall out of the shed and dragged him to the farm. "Hold on, hold on, hold on," He said. "Wait, wait."

"Put him there," Rick ordered, pointing to the middle of the barn.

Daryl did as he was instructed and placed Randall in the middle of the barn while Shane went behind him with a blindfold.

"It's all gonna be over soon," Shane reassured as he tied the blindfold around the boys eyes.

"What?" Randall said. "What's gonna be over soon?"

"Relax," Shane said.

"Hey. Hey. No. No. No. No." Randall cried.

"Would you like to stand or kneel?" Rick asked.

"Oh no, please." He pleaded.

Daryl had enough of the crying and kicked behind the young boy's legs, forcing him to kneeling position, causing him to sob harder. "Do you have any final words?" Rick asked.

"No, please." He pleaded again. "Please don't. Don't."

Rick cocked his gun and leveled it at Randall's head, causing him to stiffen. "Do it, dad." Carl said. "Do it."

The four of us turned to the barn door where we head Carl. "Oh, for Pete's sake," Kendall muttered. Shane sighed deeply and quickly went over to Carl, dragging him out of the barn. Rick took a quick glance at Carl then back at Randall.

"Take him away," Rick said as he lowered his weapon. "Take him away."

Kendall and Daryl exchanged looks and pulled the boy up off the ground, both giving Rick a look of disappointment. "Get up," Daryl ordered. Shane hit the barn door in frustration and stormed off, while Kendall and Daryl took Randall back to his prison, leaving Rick alone with Carl.

"This is fantastic, now we're back to-" Kendall began, but stopped when she heard a scream. "That sounded like Dale." She immediately grabbed her pistol and her and Daryl headed in the direction of the scream.

Kendall pushed her body as fast as it would go, but to her avail she could feel the stitches rip in her leg and her side. "He's over there," Daryl pointed.

"I can't get a clear shot!" Kendall shouted. "You've gotta move faster Daryl!"

Daryl tackled the walker while Kendall tended to Dale. She fell to her knees beside Dale and gasped at the horrid wound that the walker inflicted on him. "Oh, god." Kendall panted. "Daryl, get help!"

"Help! Run!" Daryl shouted to the others. "Hang in there, buddy."

"Oh my god," Rick said as he placed his hands on either side of Dale's face. "All right, just listen to my voice. Listen to me, all right? Just listen to me."

"Kendall, you have to help him." Rick pleaded.

"I-I can't," She stammered. "T-The wound is too severe. The chance of him surviving is slim to none. He'll bleed out before we make it back to the house."

"Hershel, we need Hershel!" Rick shouted, "Dale, hold on. Just hold on,"

"What's happened?" Hershel asked.

"What can we do?" Rick asked. "Can we move him?"

"He won't make the trip." Hershel said.

"We have to do the operation here." Rick said, panic evident in his voice. "Glenn, get back to the house."

"Rick, listen!" Kendall shouted. "He's not going to make it."

"No!" Rick shouted."

"He's suffering," Andrea said. "Do something!"

Rick pulled out his pistol from its holster and leveled it at Dale. Kendall as well as everyone else turned their heads. No one could bear to watch the event that was about to occur. Daryl grabbed the gun from Rick and kneeled down to Dale. "Sorry, brother." With those final words, Daryl pulled the trigger, ending Dale's suffering.

A/N: Please don't forget to drop a review.


	16. AWOL

A/N: Thanks to Texaswoman8, SlytherinChick101, FanFicGirl10 and Flamingaura for reviewing, And also to those who've favorite/ followed Bleak. Once again it means a lot to me. Thanks! Please keep the reviews flowing, it gives me a lot of motivation. Things are finally about to get a little more interesting. I'm also writing out the next few chapters that are going to be dealing with Kendall, Daryl and I think T-Dog going on a scavenging trip. Things will get a little interesting in those chapters as well, I hope.

Review and most of all…enjoy!

**Chapter 16: AWOL**

Kendall took watch after Randall that night while Rick and the others dragged Dale's lifeless body back to the farmhouse for proper burial in the morning. She watched as T-Dog and Glenn each grabbed a shovel and began digging the next grave spot to place their friend in.

"I'm sorry about your best friend," Randall said sincerely.

Kendall turned her head to the shed and glared at the door where the boy was being held on the other side. "Shut up," She warned.

"Did you kill them," Randall asked. "Ivan and the others I mean?"

"I said shut up you little twerp," Kendall growled. "Don't make me come in there and sew your mouth shut. I have plenty of thread and needles back in the house. So I suggest you to stop talking or else."

"Look, I run my mouth when I get nervous." He said. "I can't help it."

Kendall threw her head back and let out an annoyed groan. She knew this was going to be a long night of torture. This kid rambled on more than any high school girl happily discussing the new events of her life to her girlfriends. "Look kid, no matter how much you talk to me or try to make me pity your pathetic, worthless life, I'm not changing my decision." She said. "But to my hard luck, Rick had a change of heart. And what he says goes. I'll give you fair warning though. If we decide to spare you and you do happen to bring your men back to this farm, I'll hunt you down personally. I'll make sure your death is ten times worse as your buddy Ivan's."

"So you did kill him," He spoke quietly.

Kendall snorted at his response and turned her attention back to her surroundings. She turned her head towards the house when she heard she screen door open to Hershel's house and Daryl stepping out and heading over in her direction.

"Hey," She whispered.

"Hey," He replied and handed her a duffle bag. "Thought you could use this, your side and left leg are bleeding again."

"Ain't you a peach," She smirked as she placed the bag on the ground beside the crate she was sitting on. "I'm fine. No need to worry, just a couple of ripped stitches, nothing too serious. It can wait until morning."

Daryl frowned and crouched down and unzipped the bag, pulling out fresh bandages. "You're too damn stubborn," He growled. "Move over, I'll change it for you."

Kendall rolled her eyes. "I said it can wait until morning, Daryl." She said. "It's not like I'm going to drop dead from blood loss anytime soon."

"Are y'all two a thing or something?" Randall asked.

"Shut up!" Kendall and Daryl shouted in frustration.

Kendall stood up quickly and grabbed the duffle bag off the ground. "I can't do this here. If you're going to change out my bandages then we need to move someplace quiet." She said, and then noticed Andrea stepping out of Dale's RV. "Andrea, cover me for a bit?"

"Sure," She agreed.

"Don't hesitate to shoot him if he doesn't shut his pie hole." Kendall said to Andrea. "He's been yapping all night."

"Great," Andrea muttered.

Kendall and Daryl walked into the barn and sat down on a bale of hay. She leaned to her side and lifted her shirt while Daryl changed out the bandage. "I seriously don't see why this couldn't wait until morning." She said. "I could've changed it out then."

"Stop your damn whining and let me change out the bandage." Daryl said irritably. He gently peeled the bandage off of Kendall's side and winced, "A couple my ass. You tore them all out."

"Yeah sorry," Kendall said. "Strenuous movement can do that to you when you're injured, hence why I told you to not to lift that damn saddle when you had yours in."

"You should take your own advice next time." He replied flatly.

Kendall scoffed. "Couldn't really help it considering the dire situation Dale was in," She said. "A lot of good that did anyways, he still managed to wind up as a midnight snack."

Daryl finished patching her side and met her gaze. "You're blaming yourself for Dale's death too?"

Kendall lowered her shirt and grabbed the bloody bandage from beside her and wadded it up. "Yeah, yeah I am." She admitted. "I should've moved faster. I should've taken the shot, but I was too much of a coward to hit Dale by accident. I ran many different scenarios in my head, trying to figure out a way I could've prevented his death and all wound back up to him meeting his impending doom. And what's worse, is that I couldn't save him. The look Rick gave me, his eyes pleading with me to help Dale. I couldn't…I couldn't do anything to relieve his pain. I just sat there like a coward. I admire you for what you did. It must've been hard and took a lot of courage to step up and handle the situation when none of us could. Thank you."

Daryl nodded his head and motioned to her left thigh. "What about your leg?"

Kendall chuckled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up. "Yeah, there's no way in hell I'm dropping my pants in front of you right now, Dixon." She said. "Maybe later when I happen to be in a good mood, but nice shot though. Don't give up."

Daryl stared at Kendall dumfounded and draped the duffle bag over his shoulder. "I wasn't even…suggesting we do anything like that." He said.

Kendall's eyes widen. "So you're saying you don't want to have sex with me?" She asked appalled.

Daryl gaped. "What, no…I never said that." He said.

"Aha!" Kendall leveled an accusatory finger at him. "I knew it!"

"Shut up," He growled. "You're putting-"

Kendall held up a hand to cut him off. "Lighten up would ya, it was only a joke. Just trying to lighten the mood with a bit of humor, don't take it so personally." She said, walking out of the barn. "Note to self, don't crack jokes when the world comes to an end."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

The following morning after Dale's funeral, a few members of the group went to go check for tears in the fences while Kendall stayed behind to gear up for the drop off of Randall. To her dismay, Rick spared the boy. But it wasn't her decision to make, the only thing she could do was throw her two cents in and that was it. Which she did, she explained her reasons why she thought it wasn't best for them to spare the boy. Now all that had to be done was for Rick to make the final decision.

Kendall slipped on her bullet proof vest and filled the pockets with several magazine clips for the weapons she was bringing along for the ride, as well as her trusted knives. "You sure you're alright to tag along with me and Daryl today?" Rick asked. "I wouldn't ask you to come if I didn't need you."

Kendall placed right leg on the porch guardrail and strapped her holster to her thigh. "Oh, yeah," She reassured, smiling up at Rick. "Don't be worrying about me when we have a bigger situation at hand. I just want to get this over as soon as possible before some other problem decides to make itself known."

Rick placed a hand on Kendall's shoulder and nodded. "Thank you,"

Kendall slipped on her tactical gloves and tightened the straps. "No problem," She said. "That's what I'm here for."

Rick sighed as he noticed Shane and the others had returned. "Looks like they're back," He said.

Kendall smirked. "Have you told Shane yet…that you're not bringing him along for the ride?" She asked.

Rick shook his head and frowned. "No," He said. "Not yet. But I have a feeling it's not going to be a pleasant conversation to have with him."

Kendall chuckled and gave him a swift pat on the back. "Oh joy, he's going to be thrilled that you're taking Daryl along as your wingman and not him." She said. "I'll be here until you're ready to explain the strategy. Have fun with your chit-chat Sheriff."

"Yeah, thanks." He murmured as he trotted down the steps.

"You're in a good mood today." Daryl said suspiciously as leaned on the guardrail next to her.

Kendall shrugged. "I suppose," She said. "Considering the horrible events that have occurred over the past week, I'm doing alright. I just keep telling myself there's no point in sulking anymore. No amount of crying or praying is going to bring him back. I can just assume he's happy where he's at right now and move on."

Daryl scoffed. "It's about damn time," He muttered.

Kendall smiled and nudged him in the shoulder. "Oh, shut up." She said.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Alright you two, let's go over the plan before we head out." Rick said and unfolded the map he had in his hands down on the table. "I was thinking we take him out to Senoia—hour there, hour back, give or take. We may lose the light, but we'll be halfway home by then."

"This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory," Daryl said. "Good riddance."

"Carol's putting together some provisions for him, enough to last him a few days." Rick said and then looked at Daryl. "That thing you did last night—"

"Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting." Daryl said.

Rick nodded and our heads turned to see Shane pulling up. "So are you two good with all this?" Rick asked.

Kendall gave a swift nod, giving her answer. "I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road," Daryl said. "Nobody'd win that fight."

Kendall turned her head and frowned as Shane was approaching them. "I'm gonna take a piss." Daryl said as he slapped the map down on the table.

"And I'm going to check to see if Carol is done with those provisions." Kendall said quickly.

About an hour or so later, Kendall and Daryl loaded the back of the truck with supplies for the small trip.

"Only got so many arrows," T-Dog said to Daryl as he handed him a pistol.

"Is that Dale's gun?" Daryl asked examining the weapon.

"Yeah," He replied slamming the tailgate shut.

"Wish I knew where the hell mine is." Daryl said

"I brought plenty," Kendall smirked. "You're more than welcome to have one."

"You two ready?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," They both replied. Kendall handed Daryl his bow as he took shot gun while she volunteered to keep watch on Randall in the bed of the truck.

"I'll get the package." T-Dog said.

"Thanks," Rick replied. "Kendall, you brought enough for the trip just in case."

Kendall smirked and undid the Velcro to the front of her vest, showing him the hidden compartment that contained multiple knives and magazines. "Did you really have to ask?" She said. "Don't worry, we're well equipped if we manage to run into trouble."

"Rick!" T-Dog shouted. "We have a problem! Randall's gone missing."

"What!?" Rick said alarmed.

Kendall jumped off the side of the truck quickly following after the guys to the shed they had Randall locked up. "There's no way he could've escaped, Rick." Kendall said, inspecting the shed. "He was well bound."

"What's wrong?" Lori asked.

"Randall's gone missing." Glenn replied.

"Missing? How?" Lori panicked.

"How long's he been gone?" Hershel asked.

"We're not too sure at the moment," Kendall said. "Couldn't have been more than an hour tops."

"The cuffs are still hooked." Rick said. "He must've slipped 'em."

"Is that even possible?" Carol asked.

"It is when you've got nothing to lose." Andrea replied.

"The door was secured from the outside." Hershel said.

"Rick, he couldn't have gotten too far," Kendall said. "What do you suggest-"

Her sentence was cut short when Shane came running out of the woods, battered and bleeding from his face, shouting for Rick. Kendall knew something was off about him from the start and now he was showing his true colors.

The door was secured from the outside and there was no possible way for Randall to escape from the shed. She knew Shane wanted him dead, more than anymore, more than her. Which meant he was the prime suspect in her book for Randall's escape. The feeling in her gut had returned and from her experience a few days ago, Kendall knew to go with her instinct. Something bad was about to go down, and she didn't like it.

"What happened?" Lori asked.

"He's armed!" Shane shouted. "He's got my gun!"

"Are you okay?" Carl asked.

"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me." Shane replied. "He clocked me in the face."

"All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house." Rick commanded. "Glenn, Daryl and Kendall come with us." Kendall nodded and grabbed her pistol, quickly removing the safety.

"T, I'm gonna need that gun." Shane said.

"Just let him go." Carol said. "That was the plan, wasn't it, to just let him go?"

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here," Rick said. "Not on our front step with a gun."

"Don't go out there. Y'all know what can happen." Carol pleaded.

"Get everybody back in the house," Rick ordered. "Lock all the doors and stay put!"

"I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out." Shane said. "I'm not sure how long."

"He couldn't have gotten far." Rick said. "He's hobbled, exhausted."

"And armed," Glenn said.

"So are we," Rick said and pointed over to Daryl. "Can you track him?"

"No, I don't see nothing," Daryl said.

"Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay?" Shane said. "He went that way. We need to pair up. We spread out, we chase him down. That's it."

"Kid weighs a buck-25 soaking wet." Daryl said. "You trying to tell us he got the jump on you?"

"I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?" Shane replied.

"All right, knock it off." Rick said. "Daryl, Kendall and Glenn, start heading up the right flank. Me and Shane'll take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there. Keep an eye out for each other."

Rick started to head out, but Kendall grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. "Don't go out there alone with Shane." She pleaded. "Something's way off about this. Let me go with you."

Rick shook his head. "I need you to be with Daryl and Glenn, alright?" He said. "Now go."

"But Rick-"

"Go now Kendall." He ordered. "We're wasting time."

She loosed her grip on Rick's arm, letting it drop to her side. "Please be careful." She whispered. "Don't drop your guard for a second around Shane."

Rick nodded and with a guilty conscious, Kendall turned around and gave Shane a heated glare before running back to Daryl and Glenn.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~ **

"There's two sets of tracks right here. Shane must've followed him a lot longer than he said." Daryl said as he followed the trail until he came to a stop in front of a tree. "There's fresh blood on this tree."

"There's more tracks," Kendall said as she shined the light on the ground.

"Looks like they're walking in tandem," Daryl said. "There was a little dust up right here."

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked,

"What he's saying is that something went down over here." Kendall replied.

"It's getting weird." Glenn said.

A branch snapped behind them, followed by some rustling causing them to take cover. Kendall peered from behind the tree to see a figure walk by. More than likely it was a walker or possibly Randall. Kendall whistled softly to the guys, signaling them of the situation.

As quietly as she could she opened the Velcro from her vest, trying to pull out a knife, but winced when she made too much noise. "Shit," She cursed herself. Kendall knew for a fact it heard her and stumbled in their direction. Glenn peered around the tree once more where the walker appeared himself.

Glenn lifted his machete to strike but the walker managed to take him down. Daryl leveled his bow at the walker but missed as it grabbed a hold of the bow and pinned him against a tree. Glenn scrambled around for his knife in the dark as Kendall pulled the walker off of Daryl and shoved it away from him. Glenn managed to find his machete in time before the walker managed to get him and pierced it right through the skull.

"Nice," Daryl said, giving Glenn a swift pat.

Kendall crouched down and pulled the machete from the walker's skull. "Well, it looks like we found our escapee." Kendall said, handing the knife back over to Glenn.

Daryl crouched down beside Kendall. "Got his neck broke," He said and rolled him over to examine the body. "He's got no bites."

"Yeah, none you can see." Glenn said.

"No, I'm telling you he died from this." Daryl said.

"How's that possible?" Glenn asked.

"Because, we're-" Kendall said, but stopped herself mid-sentence when she realized it would be in the groups best interest of Rick explained the situation to them. "Never mind, we should just head back and inform the others that we've located Randall."

"Sounds good," Glenn said.

**A/N: Well, I'm stopping the chapter right here. It's over three thousand words and I was planning on adding the part where the farm was over-run, but you'll have to wait until the next chapter. Please review. The more reviews, the faster the next chapter comes out. **


	17. Infested

A/N: Thanks to FanFicGirl10 and RikkiBlake777 for reviewing as well to the couple of people who had favorite/followed Bleak. Much appreciated. Please make sure to drop a comment at the end of this chapter. I finally finished season 2! Now off to season 3 if I get enough reviews.

I believe I'll make the next chapter a scavenge trip with Daryl, T-Dog and Kendall…not too sure yet, but I'm open to suggestions. So you can either post it in the review or PM me.

Review, but most of all…enjoy!

**Chapter 17: Infested **

Daryl, Glenn and Kendall came to a halt as they heard a single gunshot echo throughout the night sky. Kendall and the two men exchanged looks, something went wrong and Kendall knew it. There was only one possibility she was certain of, Shane must've made his move to end Rick for good.

"I should go and check that out," Kendall said anxiously. "You two go on and head back to the others and inform them of our finding."

"What?" Glenn shrieked. "You can't go out there alone, especially not right now. Did you forget what happened to Dale?"

"He's right," Daryl agreed. "You'll be a sittin' duck out there on your own and there's no tellin' which direction the shot came from thanks to all these damn trees. You'll be running in circles all night."

"We stick together," Glenn said.

Kendall bit her lip nervously and sighed. "Fine," She said in defeat. "Let's hurry up and head back to Hershel's, maybe by the time we make it back Rick and Shane will be there waiting for us."

Daryl and Glenn nodded and followed after Kendall as quickly as they could back to where the others we're waiting for answers. No later than ten minutes, they could see the farmhouse up ahead. Kendall, Daryl and Glenn ran up the steps to Hershel's house and threw the screen door open. "Rick and Shane ain't back?" Daryl asked curiously as he took a quick glance around the room.

"No," Lori said worriedly.

"We heard a gunshot go off." Kendall said.

"Maybe they found Randall." Lori said.

"We found him," Daryl said.

"Is he back in the shed?" Maggie asked.

"He was a walker when we found him." Kendall said.

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked.

"No, the weird thing is he wasn't bit." Glenn said.

"His neck was broke," Daryl said.

"So he fought back," Patricia said.

"The thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other." Daryl said. "And Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him. They were together."

"Would you three please go back out there, find Rick and Shane and find out what on earth is going on?" Lori pleaded.

"You got it," Daryl said.

"Thank you," Lori said.

"Yeah…I think that is gonna be a problem considering the high amount of walkers that are roaming right outside the farm at the moment." Kendall said wearily as she stared out the screen door.

"What?" Lori panicked.

Kendall along with everyone else quickly stepped outside and froze at the godly amount of walkers that were heading directly for them. "Patricia, kill the lights." Hershel whispered.

"I'll get the guns," Andrea said running back into the house.

"The gunshot must've drawn them in this direction," Kendall said.

"Maybe they're just passing, like the herd on the highway." Glenn said. "Should we just go inside?"

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about." Daryl said. "A herd that size would rip the house down."

Andrea ran out of Hershel's house and quickly tossed Kendall her duffle bag while she rummaged through the other. Maggie handed Glenn a shot gun, catching him by surprise. "Maggie." He said.

"You grow up country, you pick up a thing or two." She said.

"I got the number, it's no use." Daryl said.

"You can go if you want." Hershel said.

"You gonna take em' all on?" Daryl asked.

"We have guns. We have cars." Hershel said.

"Kill as many as we can, and we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm." Andrea said.

"Are you serious?" Daryl asked.

"This is my farm," Hershel said. "I'll die here."

"All right," Daryl agreed. "It's as good a night as any."

Kendall loaded the magazine into her rifle and glanced at Daryl. "Don't do anything stupid, okay?" She said. Daryl nodded and jumped over the rail. "While you're all taking them out from below, I'll be attacking from above."

Kendall threw open the screen door and darted up the steps to the second floor as quickly as she could. She dropped the bag on the ground beside her and unlocked the latch from the windows and pushed them open. Grabbing a chair from the other side of the room, she placed it in front of the window and placed the rifle on the window sill.

Kendall cocked her head to one side, shut one eye and put the other behind the rifle scope. She took a deep breath and exhaled out slowly. She moved the rifle around until she locked on her target and pulled the trigger. She grabbed the tactical knob to the bolt handle and pulled back, reloading for her next shot.

Again and again Kendall squeezed the trigger to her M24-A2 taking out multiple walkers. She quickly unloaded the magazine and pulled out another from her bag and reloaded. "This is pointless," She told herself. "They're everywhere."

"Kendall!" Carol panted. "We need to leave, now!"

"I can see that." Kendall said, taking out another walker. "It's time for a new game plan. Get Hershel and the girls together and meet me down at the front porch. I'll be right behind you!"

"Okay," She said, running out of the room.

Kendall pushed away from the window and quickly grabbed her rifle off the window sill and draped the strap over her shoulder and crouched down to pick up the weaponry bag and darted back downstairs. Before she re-grouped with the others, she grabbed the two duffle bags that had been sitting beside the door since she'd returned and picked them up and ran out the front door.

"Hershel, it's time to go!" Kendall shouted. "Hershel!"

"It's useless," Lori said. "I've tried, he won't listen."

"Then you've done all you could." Kendall said. "Listen and listen good girls, stay behind me and do not stray away. We stick together. Now let's move!"

The five women ran down the steps towards the suburban but stopped when Patricia got attacked by a walker, keeping Beth from running any further. Lori and Kendall ran to her aid and pried Patricia's steel band grip off from Beth, leaving the woman to scream in agony as the walkers tore at her flesh.

"Where did Carol go?" Lori panicked.

"Damn it!" Kendall growled. "I specifically said not to wonder off."

T-dog came to a stop in front of them and Andrea jumped out of the passenger side. "Get in!" She ordered.

"Get Carol, she ran that way." Lori pointed.

Kendall threw the bags into the bed of the truck and jumped in the back, letting Lori and Beth take the front. Kendall dropped her rifle and pulled out her pistol and shot the approaching walkers who were trying to swarm over the truck. As Andrea was trying to aid Carol, Kendall saw her go down in the process.

Kendall kicked off several walkers off the sides of the truck as she reloaded her pistol. "T-Dog, get off the damn farm, now!" She shouted as she banged her fist on the roof of the truck. T-Dog did as he was instructed and pressed down on the gas pedal, leaving Hershel's farm.

Kendall let out a relieved sigh and dropped down in the bed of the truck, watching the barn burn to the ground from a distance as they sped off. She placed her head in her hands and prayed the others had managed to make it to safety in time.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall balled her right hand into a fist and banged on the glass, signaling T-Dog to pull over. The tires screeched to a halt nearly causing Kendall to jerk forward as he pulled over. She jumped over the side of the truck and walked over to Lori's window, which she was rolling down.

"So what's the plan?" Kendall asked. "We've been driving for hours with no idea on where the hell we're heading."

"We gotta turn around." Lori said.

"Straight back to that herd?" T-Dog said. "Um, no."

"The highway's back there. That's where they'll be." Lori said. "Rick will go back to where we first broke down and Glenn too."

"We're heading east, get to the coast." T-Dog said. "We should've done that from the jump."

"I gotta find Carl." Lori said. "He may have escaped with somebody."

"I hate to say it, but they're on their own." T-Dog said. "There's no way to even begin to start looking."

"You're wrong." Lori cried.

"Look, we can't go back." T-Dog said. "I'm sorry. It's suicide."

"All right, then I'm out of here." Lori said, her hand reaching for the door latch.

Kendall rolled her eyes. "All right, that's enough!" Kendall said annoyed. "T-Dog, Lori's right. I think it would be wise to head back to the highway. I can already tell you the coast is not wise. Jackson and I had already made an attempt, it's futile. The USCG was overrun with walkers, there's nothing left. It would be suicide if we head any further without the others. We only have so much ammunition and Lori and Beth need to reunite with their families. We can't split apart, not now. So all in favor who think we should return to the highway and regroup with the others, raise your hands."

All three women but T-Dog raised their hands. "Sorry T-Dog, but it's three to one. It looks like we're heading back to the highway." Kendall said.

"You're out of your damn minds." T-Dog said.

Kendall waved off his remark. "Yeah, yeah," She said. "Stop your whining and turn the damn truck around."

Kendall hopped back into the bed of the truck and much to T-Dog's dismay, he turned the vehicle around. A few hours later, they reached the highway. Kendall's face brightened as Lori's theory was correct. Everyone had returned. Things we're starting to look up for once. Her prayers were finally answered.

"I see you survived," Daryl said to Kendall as he helped her down from the truck.

Kendall smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Geez, don't sound so disappointed." She said. "Though I'm glad to see you've made it out alive and in once piece. Especially on that death trap you've been riding on."

Daryl scoffed but couldn't help the small smile that was beginning to form on his face, He was glad she was alright. When he lost sight of her at the farm he began to worry. He finally got her back and wasn't ready to lose her again. But when he caught a glimpse of her in the back of the pick-up he was relieved. He just wanted to grab her and kiss her passionately on the lips, but was afraid on how she would react to the sudden approach, especially since the tragic event she just went through.

"Where'd you find everyone?" Rick asked Daryl.

"Well, those guys' tail light zigzagging all over the road, figured he had to be Asian driving like that." Daryl joked.

Glenn chuckled. "Good one."

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asked.

"We're the only ones who made it so far." Rick replied.

"Shane?" Lori asked curiously. Rick shook his head giving Lori her answer.

"Andrea?" Glenn asked.

"She saved me, and then I lost her." Carol said.

"We saw her go down." T-Dog said.

"Patricia?" Hershel asked.

Beth shook her head. "They got her too, took her right in front of me. I was…I was holdin' onto her, daddy." She cried. "What about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?"

Rick nodded. "He was in the R.V." He said. "It got overrun."

"You definitely saw Andrea?" Carol asked.

"There were walkers everywhere." Lori said.

"Did you see her?" Carol asked.

"I'm gonna go back." Daryl said.

"No," Rick and Kendall said in unison.

"We can't just leave her." Daryl said.

"I witnessed her going down," Kendall said. "And even if she managed to survive that, we don't even know if she's still there."

"She isn't there. She isn't." Rick said. "She's somewhere else or she's dead. There's no way to find her."

"So we're not even gonna look for her?" Glenn asked in disbelief.

"We gotta keep moving." Rick said. "There have been walkers crawling all over here."

Daryl grabbed his bow from his bike. "Stay off the main roads. The bigger the road, the more walkers, more asshole like this one," He said. "I got him." He leveled the bow and pulled the trigger taking out the single walker in one swift blow.

"Well, why you all discuss the new game plan for our next destination, I found a truck of my liking not too far from where we're standing." Kendall said as she reached over the side of the truck and retrieved the duffle bags. "Like I told T-Dog earlier, it's not wise to head east. Just my opinion though, but you'll can decide amongst yourselves."

Daryl sighed and followed after Kendall. "I'll cover you."

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall and the others pulled over when Rick honked his horn signaling everyone to pull over. She assumed he was running low on fuel. And the truck she recently took didn't have much fuel to spare either.

"You out?" Daryl asked Rick.

"Running on fumes." He replied.

"We can't stay here." Maggie said.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning." Rick said.

"Spend the night here?" Carol asked.

"I'm freezing," Carl said.

"We'll build a fire, yeah?" Lori asked.

"You go out looking for firewood, stay close." Daryl said. "Only got so many arrows. How are we doing on ammo?"

"Not enough," Rick said.

"We've practically burned through most of the ammunition back at the farm." Kendall said. "I have at least six pistol magazines on me, a few boxes of rifle and pistol ammo in the truck, but that's all."

"We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out." Maggie said.

"Watch your mouth," Hershel said to her. "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick."

"All right, we'll set up a perimeter." Rick said. "In the morning, we'll find gas and some supplies. We'll keep pushing on."

"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas" Maggie suggested.

"No, we stay together." Rick said. "God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car."

"Rick, we're stranded now." Glenn said.

"I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse." Rick said. "But at least we found each other. I wasn't sure, I really wasn't, but we did. We're together. We keep it that way. We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place."

"Rick, look around. Okay?" Glenn said. "There are walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something."

"There's gotta be a place not just where we hold up." Rick said. "But that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, and build a _life_ for each other. I know it's out there. We just have to _find_ it."

"Even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure. For how long?" Maggie said. "Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe."

"We won't make that mistake again." Hershel said.

"We'll make camp tonight over there," Rick pointed. "Get on the road at the break of day."

"Does this feel right to you?" Carol asked Daryl.

"What if walkers come through?" Beth asked Rick. "Or another group like Randall's?"

"You know I found Randall, right?" Daryl said to Rick. "He had turned, but he wasn't bit."

"How's that possible?" Beth asked.

"Rick, what the hell happened?" Lori asked.

"Shane killed Randall." Daryl said. "Just like he always wanted to."

"And then the herd got him?" Lori asked.

Kendall stepped forward. "It looks like that cats out of the bag now, time to tell them what's going on, Rick." She said. "Go on,"

"We're all infected," He said.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"At the C.D.C., Jenner told me." Rick said. "Whatever it is, we all carry it."

"And you two never said anything?" Carol said disgusted.

"Now look here," Kendall spat. "I've just recently discovered this myself that day me and Jackson were ambushed. I know for a fact they died from severe injury from the multiple gunshots that we fired, yet somehow they reanimated into one of those _things_. I planned on telling you all, I swear I did. I just thought it would be in the group's best interest to hear it from their leader himself."

"You knew this whole time?" Glenn asked Rick.

"How could I have known for sure?" Rick said. "You saw how crazy that mo-"

"That isn't your call." Glenn said. "Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone."

"Well, I thought it be best that people didn't know." Rick said, walking off.

Kendall sighed heavily and threw her hands up in frustration as she walked back to her truck. "Didn't go as well as I hoped it would've," She muttered to herself.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"We're not safe with those two." Carol whispered to Daryl. "Keeping something like that from us. Why do you need them? They're just gonna pull you down."

"No," Daryl replied. "They've done all right by me."

"You're their henchman." Carol said. "And I'm a burden. You deserve better."

"What do you want?" Daryl questioned.

"A man of honor." Carol replied.

"Rick has honor," Daryl said, tossing some firewood into the blazing fire. "And Kendall too, she and Rick have done a lot to keep this group alive."

Carol stared into the fire. "You like her don't you…Kendall?" She whispered, her hands curling into fists by her sides. "Why don't you just tell her?"

Daryl frowned and tossed another stick into the fire. "It's none of your damn business if I do or not." He growled. "So best let it be."

Rick, T-Dog and Kendall set up perimeter around the wall in case another herd of walkers passed through. Rick came up to Kendall and leaned against the wall beside her. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, causing him to glance down at her as she kept her eyes focused ahead of her.

"I just want you to know that I won't hold anything against you for what you did to Shane, Rick." She spoke quietly, almost a whisper. "You did what you had to do to protect this group. I would've done the same if I were in your shoes, so don't beat yourself up over his selfishness and stupidity. I was afraid to leave you alone with him because I knew of his dark intentions, but at that moment when you told me to go with Daryl and Glenn I could tell by your eyes you knew what he was planning on doing."

"If Shane had returned and I wasn't there alongside him, what would've you done." He asked.

Kendall smirked. "I would've shot him of course." She said. "Though, there was no doubt in my mind that if he managed to take you out he would come after me next. We were a threat to him. You because he loved Lori and was willing to kill you to get her back and me, well it's me of course. I can distinguish the good from the bad and Shane knew that. I wouldn't be able to drop what happened and he'd kill me off during a scavenge trip or something of that sort. The man had a few screws loose. I figured that out the day we all met."

"Thank you," Rick said gratefully.

"You don't _ever_ have to thank me." She said. "I will protect this group no matter what, even if I have to give my life in the process. So you don't ever have to worry, alright. Everyone might think we've hit a dead end, but we'll get through this. We always do."

Rick opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when they heard a branch snap in the direction they came from. Kendall quickly lifted her rifle in the direction of the noise, waiting for the target to show itself. Everyone stood up from around the fire and began to panic.

"What was that?" Beth asked.

"Could be anything," Daryl replied. "Could be a raccoon or even a possum."

"Walker." Glenn said.

"We need to leave." Carol said. "What are we waiting for?"

"Which way?" Glenn asked.

"It came from over there," Maggie pointed. "Back from where we came."

"Last thing we need is for everyone to running off in the dark." Rick said. "We don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot."

"Don't panic." Hershel said.

"I'm not-I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move, now." Maggie said.

"No one is going anywhere," Rick growled.

"Do something," Carol said.

"I am doing something!" Rick snapped angrily. "I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for_ this_. I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake! You saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no _choice_. He was my friend, but he came after me. My hands are clean. Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us. But maybe-maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't you go and find out yourself? Send me a postcard. Go on, there's the door. You can do better? Let's see how far you get." Everyone stayed silent at Rick's words and made no attempt to leave their spot. "No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight. You're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."

Kendall gave Rick a swift nod and continued watch. Rick meant well and a part of everyone knew that, even if they didn't want to admit it. Tomorrow was a new day and she wondered what crazy shit they were going to encounter out there again. She grabbed the cross Daryl had given her and said a silent prayer, praying something good would come out of this soon.

A/N: Woot! Finally done with season 2. Comments please, then onwards to season 3, my favorite so far!


	18. Infiltration, A New Home

A/N: Holy crap, sorry for the long wait everyone. Had a severe writing block, which I'm slowly getting out of. It's been about a month since I've updated, and like I said…I'm truly sorry. We're officially on season three on this story, so far so good I suppose.

As for the latest episode of The Walking Dead…epic! I wanted to cry for Daryl, but Merle went down as a hero in my book. The man was a pain in the ass, but he went out with a bang. Can't wait to write that part, already have it in my head...hehehe.

Anywhoo, thanks to FanFicGirl10, Flamingaura, MillionMilesAway00 for reviewing and to those who've favorite/followed Bleak! Really means the world to me! So please, keep the reviews coming, gives me so much motivation to continue.

**Chapter 18- Infiltration, a new home **

Months had passed since the infected took over Hershel's barn. Since then, the group had been pushing forward. They've traveled from house to house, but nothing was safe for long. Lori was set to give birth any time now and they couldn't keep running. Supplies were running severely low and the surrounding towns they went to scavenge didn't have much, only enough to last them a couple days before they had to hit another location. Things were beginning to look bleak for the group of survivors. That is until a prayer from a desperate woman was finally overheard.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"We got no place left to go," T-Dog said.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off." Maggie said glancing at the map. "We'll never make it south."

"What would you say?" Daryl asked. "That was about 150 head?"

"That's last week, it could be twice that by now." Glenn said.

"This river could have delayed them." Hershel said. "If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there."

"Yeah, but if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way." T-Dog said.

"So we're blocked." Kendall said. "Fantastic."

"The only thing to do is double back at 27 and swing towards Greenville." Rick said.

"Yeah, we picked through that already." T-Dog said frustrated. "It's like we spent the winter going in circles."

"Yeah, I know. I know." Rick said. "At Newnan we'll push west. Haven't been through there yet. We can't keep going house to house. Need to find a place to hole up for a few weeks."

"Alright. Is it cool if we get to the creek before we head out?" T-Dog asked. "Won't take long, we got to fill up on water. We can boil it later."

"Knock yourself out," Rick said.

While the others went down to the creek to fetch more water, Kendall ambled towards Daryl who was readying his bow for another outing in the woods. "Mr. Owl didn't quite exactly hit the spot now did he?" Kendall chuckled.

Daryl glanced up at Kendall and smirked. "Nope," He replied. "Come on, while the others wash their panties, let's go hunt."

Kendall gave a quick nod and turned towards Rick and whistled, grabbing his attention towards the two. "Yo, what do you say we go hunt before we hit the road?" She asked.

Rick clapped Kendall on the back and the three set out in the woods for a quick hunt. As they strolled down the old train tracks the three stumbled across a prison that was infested with several walkers roaming around outside the fence and prison courtyard.

"That's a shame." Daryl said.

Kendall glanced over to Rick. She smiled as she noticed as his eyes brightened at the sight of the prison. This was what they'd been searching for all these months. This was going to be their new home.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Kendall, bolt cutters!" Rich commanded.

"Already on it," Kendall said tossing them over to Rick who quickly snipped the chain link fence enough for them to pass through one by one.

"Hurry, hurry!" Rick ushered the group.

Once everyone made it through the small opening, Kendall tossed Glenn some wire so he could quickly patch the opening enough to where no walkers could infiltrate the prison from outside the gate. Once finished, the group quickly darted towards the prison, ignoring the hungry walkers slamming against the gate.

"It's perfect." Rick said. "If we can shut that gate, prevent from more filling the yard. We can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight."

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel asked.

"I'll do it," Glenn volunteered. "You guys cover me."

Maggie shook her head. "No," She said. "It's a suicide run."

"I'm the fastest," Glenn persisted,

"No," Rick said. "You, Maggie and Beth draw as many as you can over there, pop 'em through the fence. Daryl go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot, take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower.

"All right," Carl said.

"Kendall and I will run for the gate," He said, wearily.

"Sweet," Kendall said, throwing the rifle strap over her shoulder. The amount of sarcasm dripping from her voice didn't go unnoticed as she scurried to catch up to Rick, who had slowed enough to let her catch up with him.

"Hey," Daryl called to Kendall, causing her to halt her steps. "Be careful,"

Kendall smirked as she screwed on the silencer attachment to her pistol. "Always," She said, winking.

While the group got into their positions, Rick and Kendall readied themselves for a run that could surely cost them their lives if they slipped up in the slightest bit. Kendall tightened the straps on her tactical gloves and removed the safety from her pistol, her finger itching to pull the trigger when the time called for it.

She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly as Rick gave Lori the signal to open the gate. Rick and Kendall quickly stepped through the gate, Lori quickly shutting it behind them as they cautiously walked around the bus for any approaching walkers.

When the coast was clear, Kendall saw this as their perfect opportunity to make a mad dash towards the gate. "Go, go, go!" She whispered urgently.

They ran. That was the plan, anyway. One by one Rick and Kendall took out walkers that stood in the way of their new found home. As Rick and Kendall closed in on the gate, the two stopped briefly when they felt an arrow whizz behind them, quickly taking out the walker that was closing in on the two.

Kendall looked up at Daryl and mouthed him a silent thank you and quickly proceeded towards the gate. Rick was a few feet ahead of her when a single bullet shot towards his feet, quickly halting him for a mere second before he continued running.

Kendall reached into her pouch and quickly pulled out a throwing knife as the two were a good ten feet away from the gate. "Get the gate, Rick." Kendall panted. "I got this son of a bitch." She snapped her right forearm forward and the knife into her targets skull.

As Rick was shutting the gate, Kendall reloaded her pistol and took out the approaching walkers. "Kendall, let's move!" Rick said, opening the tower door taking out the walkers from the inside.

Kendall gave a swift nod and quickly followed Rick inside, making sure to shut the tower door behind her. Once they reached the top of the tower, Kendall dropped her pistol onto the ground and lifted the rifle strap from over shoulder and cocked her head to one side. Shutting one eye placing the other one behind the rifle scope, she moved the rifle around until the locked onto her target in the crosshairs of the scope.

Smirking, Kendall pulled the trigger taking out the walker in a matter of seconds. She couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. Things we're finally looking up for them. Kendall grabbed the tactical knob to the bolt handle and pulled back, reloading for her next shot.

No less than a minute later, the gun fire seized and all walkers were eliminated. Kendall lowered her rifle and patted Rick proudly on the shoulder, then made their way down to the others.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall crouched down to Lori and handed over her portion of food. "Here, eat up." She spoke softly.

Lori shook her head and pushed the bowl away. "You need to eat sweetie," She said. "Don't worry about me."

Kendall smiled and pushed her bowl towards Lori once more. "I'm already full," She lied. "Besides, it's my job to worry. You need to get as much as nutrition into your system as you can. For the sake of your unborn child, please take it."

Lori was hesitant for a moment but took the bowl and eagerly dug in at the small portion inside. Kendall gently rubbed Lori's stomach and stood up and made her way over to Daryl who was keeping watch on top of the bus. A small growl escaped Kendall's throat as Carol caught her eye.

She snorted in disgust as she watched Daryl give Carol a massage. Kendall rolled her eyes and turn around to head back to the group but halted when she heard Daryl call out to her. "Hey," He said. "Leavin' already?"

"I don't want to interrupt you two kids." She said, annoyed. "I'll just be taking my leave now."

Carol smiled at her, infuriating the woman even more as she jumped down from the bus and strolled over to her. "Thought he could use a little bite to eat," She spoke softly.

"Mmhmm," Kendall muttered, the turned her icy gaze towards Carol who was heading back to the others.

"You two not getting along or what?" Daryl asked, confused.

Kendall shrugged and crawled through the bus window until she reached an opening where Daryl pulled her through. She then took a seat on the side of the bus and watched the others around the campfire. Daryl moved up beside her and passed her his bowl of food. "Here," He said.

Kendall shook her head and pushed his hand away. "I'm alright," She whispered.

Daryl sighed and sat down beside her and placed the bowl into her lap. "Eat," He said. "You didn't even take a bite of yours before you handed it over to Lori."

"You saw that, huh?" She said.

"Yup,"

Kendall reluctantly grabbed a piece of food from Daryl's bowl and placed the bowl down beside him. Leaning forward, she softly kissed him on the cheek before placing the food into her mouth. "The rest is yours, thanks." She smiled,

Daryl wasn't going to lie. He loved that smile of hers. Despite the constant killing of walkers, fighting for their lives every single day, his day brightened tenfold every time she flashed him a smile.

That night she came back alone from her and Jackson's hunt for supplies barely alive, bleeding, bruised and broken, he was terrified of losing her. And when she didn't smile or laugh that entire week, he thought he'd lost her.

Kendall wasn't the type to be angry, cold or dark. She held so much love, compassionate and strength inside that loving heart of hers, and always put everyone's well-being first before herself. She was different from any women he had met before the world went to shit and he guessed that's why he had taken a liking to her so much. She was one of a kind.

For months, Daryl had been hesitant on making a move on Kendall. Even though the two had progressively gotten closer, he was still afraid for some reason. Though tonight, he was going to change that. He was tired of being a coward, tired of hiding from crap that had stopped him from loving her.

Daryl slowly leaned his body forward to press his lips gently to hers. The last time they kissed, Daryl had forced himself to take it slow, but now he was initiating the act once again and he intended to explore her mouth fully.

Kendall had to suppress a whimper as she felt warm lips descend on her. This was nothing like their kiss before, it was warm and tender and left her aching for more, so when his tongue traced her bottom lip teasingly, she parted her lips and granted him entry.

Daryl hummed softly in approval, bringing a hand up to cup her jaw as his tongue began sweeping lazily over teeth and gums before stroking her own muscle smoothly. He pulled away for a moment, noting her eyes had turned a slightly darker shade of brown as desire began to burn in the shimmering orbs. Her mouth was still parted slightly in a silent invitation for him to reclaim what he had left and he was more than happy to comply.

He kissed her again and this time, she was bolder in her response, her tongue gliding along his as he drank in her exquisite taste. As delicious as her mouth was, he couldn't ignore his protesting lungs and pulled away to catch his breath. Kendall was watching him through hazy eyes, her own chest rising and falling more rapidly than before.

"Wow, a badass and a great kisser all in one." Kendall said breathlessly.

Daryl couldn't help but smirk as he stood up. "Shut up," He said.

Kendall stared up at Daryl as he jumped down into the bus. "What, that's it?" She chuckled, standing up. "You're such a tease."

A/N: And the romance begins! My lemons will also start soon, hehe. Please make sure to drop a comment, looking forwards to reading them. The more comments, the faster the next chapter comes out! ^^


	19. Home, Sweet, Home

**A/N: Thanks to FanFicGirl10. Flamingaura, . (FanFiction) And to AnonRyder23 (Wattpad) luvavengers (Quizilla) for reviewing as well for the SEVERAL people who favorite/followed Bleak. Had to say the last chapter was like the all time active one for some reason. Maybe I should go on hiatus for a month more often, heh.**

**So who's psyched about the new episode airing tonight!? I know I am! **

**Anywhoo, I normally don't post three days after I write a chapter, but since I had a lot of activity on the previous chapter, I'll go ahead an update for you'll. **

**Note: This is RATED M for reasons, got a nice lemon towards the middle of the chapter. I marked it beginning and end of lemon, so people who are not fond of lemons, feel free to scroll down. But to us peeps who like some steamy action going on every now and again, enjoy haha. **

**Also note, I spent my entire day off writing this. Please, please comment on what you think of this chapter. I'm also hoping to add more scavenges. Okay I'm done rambling, review but most of all ENJOY!**

**Chapter 19: Home, Sweet, Home. **

There was a fire. Glenn and T-Dog had built a stone ring, then laid dried wood and kindling in it, demonstrating an understanding of woodsmanship that would have put a troop of Boy Scouts to shame, although they used the lighter from Kendall's pack instead of rubbing sticks together to produce the first flame.

The fire was meant to provide comfort, as well as to allow them to heat water to rehydrate their dinners. And its warmth was certainly welcome. Although the day had been uncomfortably hot, once the sun went down the temperature started to plummet, and now it felt like it was close to freezing. They'd been sitting in front of the fire for what seemed like hours when Rick decided to speak up.

"Better all turn in." Rick said. "I'll take watch. Got a big day tomorrow."

Kendall averted her attention away from the burning fire and glanced over to Rick, confused.

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked, confused.

"Look, I know we're all exhausted." Rick said. "This was a great win. But we've got to push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies may be intact. They'd have an infirmary, a commissary."

"An armory?" Daryl said.

"That would be outside the prison itself, but not too far away." Rick said. "Warden's office would have info on the location. Weapons, food and medicine, this place could be a gold mine.

"We're dangerously low on ammo," Hershel said. "We'd run out before we make a dent."

"That's why we have to go in there…hand to hand." Rick said. "After all we've been through, we can handle it. I know it. These assholes don't stand a chance."

Kendall stared up at Rick as he stood up from his spot and walked away from the group to take watch. She sighed tiredly and reached into her pack, pulling out a sharpening stone and her machete. Next, she opened her knife pouch and pulled out her beloved knives, sprawling them down before her.

Since she was running low on ammunition herself, she had no other choice but to rely on her 'impeccable knife throwing skills' as Jackson clearly stated at one time. Not that she didn't mind, it kept her skills sharpened.

Kendall smirked to herself as she gently ran the blade down the black stone. For some oddly reason, even though there was a high possibility one or all of them could be taken down by a group of walkers, she couldn't wait for sunrise.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Ready?" Hershel asked, anxiously.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Kendall replied, bluntly.

Rick quickly removed the snap hook to the gate and slid the gate open, Hershel quickly closing it behind them. Kendall's grip tightened around her machete as she lifted her right leg and kicked one of the walkers in the chest, knocking him down onto the hard cement floor. She pressed her foot against the walker's chest, holding him down and lifted her machete into the air bringing the long blade down into his skull.

Kendall quickly moved back to the others and proceeded further into the court yard. "Kendall," Rick said wearily as two walkers sauntered from their left.

"Come on!" Kendall taunted the walkers. She quickly grabbed one by the collar of his shirt and thrusted the knife up into his skull. Immediately, she released her grip on the first walker and tended to the next. Kendall surprised gasp escaped her as the walker grabbed a hold of the front of her vest and pulled her forward. Kendall's hand flew to his chin in a tight grip and thrusted the knife straight into his right eye. She then removed the blade, letting the walker fall onto the ground.

"Kendall!" Rick cried.

"I'm alright!" Kendall reassured with a pant. "Keep moving!"

She scurried back to the others to get back into formation. While doing so, T-Dog lunged for the polycarbonate shield lying on the ground. "Don't break formation, T!" She yelled, throwing a knife and pulling out another in the process.

"We may need that!" T-Dog shouted, slamming the shield into the walker's chest, knocking him down giving Maggie the opportunity to take him out.

"Almost there," Rick said, cautiously opening a door that led to god knows where. As he peered around the corner he noticed an opened gate filled with countless walkers. "Shit!"

Rick quickly pressed his back against the wall and signaled the others to halt. "We need to shut that gate," Kendall whispered to Rick.

"I know," Rick said.

Kendall's eyes widen at the sight of four walkers dressed in riot gear heading straight for them. "You think an arrow will pierce through those helmets?" Kendall whispered to Daryl.

"Only one way to find out," He said, cautiously approaching the guards.

Daryl leveled his bow with the first guard and pulled their trigger. To their dismay it didn't work as they all hoped it would. Realizing their predicament, the exhausted woman shoved one of the guards away, sending him sprawling against the concrete. Whilst the walker was down, Kendall lifted the helmet visor and thrusted her knife into him.

"Daryl!" Rick yelled as he tackled one of the guards onto the ground. He quickly sprung up and he and Daryl quickly shut the gate, attaching the snap hooks onto the gate to prevent any more walkers from escaping.

Everyone took a moment to catch their breath as they managed to wipe out all walkers in the court yard and then proceeded back to the others, when Rick ordered them to stop. "What, it looks secure." Glenn said.

"Nothing will lead to that courtyard over there," Daryl said, then pointed over to a walker lying on the cold cement floor. "And that's a civilian."

"So the interior could be overrun by walkers from outside the prison." T-Dog said.

"Well, if there are walls down, then what're we going to do?" Glenn asked. "We can't rebuild this whole place."

"We can't risk a blind spot," Rick said. "We have to push in."

Kendall and the others nodded in the affirmative and made their way inside the prison, leaving the others outside the gate confused. They stopped outside a red metal door and readied themselves for another fight. Daryl slid open the door and they cautiously made their way into the dark prison.

Kendall glanced up to the watch tower and signaled Rick of the possible threat above. He gave a swift nod and slowly climbed up the steps, Kendall hot on his heels in case the situation turned dire. Rick pressed the blade into the man's chest to confirm in the man was indeed a walker or just dead. Realizing that the man was no threat, Rick lowered his blade and grabbed the set of keys off the man's belt loop.

Rick signaled the others the okay and everyone let out a sigh in relief as they trotted down the steps and towards the cell block. Rick inserted the key into the key hold and quietly turned the key, unlocking the gate. Daryl and Kendall climbed up to the second level, followed by Rick while the others scoped out the lower level.

As Kendall was about to take the right side of the cell block, a loud thud echoed throughout the part of the building. Rick and Daryl went to investigate the source of the sound, leaving Kendall to clear out the right. When all was clear, Kendall went to retrieve the others and bring them inside where it was safe.

"What do you think?" Rick asked.

"Home, sweet, home." Glenn replied.

"For the time being," Rick said.

"It's secure?" Carol asked.

"This cell block is," Rick replied.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary." Rick said.

"We sleep in the cells?" Beth asked.

"I found some keys on some guards," Rick said. "Daryl has a set too."

"I ain't sleeping in no cage," Daryl said from above. "I'll take the perch."

As exhausted as Kendall was, she found the strength to summon a smile at his words. Stifling a yawn, Kendall slowly climbed up the steps to the second level, stepping over Daryl in the process. "You don't want to shack up with me instead, I could use the company." Kendall asked, towering over him. "Besides, from where I'm standing, you look pretty uncomfortable."

Daryl scoffed and opened one eye, glancing up at the woman. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and turned to his side.

"Suit yourself, Dixon," Kendall shrugged, walking into one of the cleaner cells on the far right. Sighing heavily, she threw her pack and machete onto the top bunk and struggled to get her hair out the pony-tail she had placed it in earlier that morning.

She then began to remove her tactical gloves and pistol holster from her right thigh and threw them with her other belongings and proceeded to remove her vest. Kendall groaned in pain as she tried removing her vest. She hadn't slept well for the past week and her body was overall exhausted and sore.

"Here," The husky voice said.

Kendall slowly turned around and smiled weakly at Daryl who'd dropped his belongings into her cell and began removing the buckles on her vest. Daryl gently moved her hair to one side and pressed the side release of the buckle and proceeded onto the next one.

****LEMON START****

Without really thinking, Kendall let her hand cup his cheek gently. Slowly, she moved her face up to his until they were nose to nose. She could feel his warm breath puffing evenly against her cheek and ran her tongue over her own parted lips in anticipation before sinking the final few inches to brush her lips against his, feeling the silky texture slide across her skin.

Daryl, on the other hand knew exactly what she wanted from him. His mind had been continually drifting back to last night's heated encounter and found himself desiring more. Kendall moaned against his lips as he kissed her tenderly.

Daryl moved behind her. "Keep quiet," He told her, tossing the black vest in the corner of the cell. His hands skimmed up her body to cup her breasts as he gently pushed her face first into the wall, pressing his body to hers from behind. A surprised gasp escaped Kendall's lips as he bit her neck gently and pushed his hand down the front of her jeans massaging her gently.

He then pulled his hand out and turned her around. His hands were on her, frenzied and hungry, entangling in her hair to pull her into a deeper kiss before falling to her chest to squeeze her breasts roughly, extracting a startled cry which Daryl eagerly swallowed.

He plundered her mouth as his hands fumbled open the buttons of her shirt until a black bra was exposed. Without breaking the kiss, he pulled the silky cups down, revealing soft flesh and pink nipples. Kendall reached for the back of her bra band and unsnapped the clips, letting it drop beside her along with her shirt. She then kicked off her boots and shimmied out of her pants, leaving her in nothing but a pair of simple black panties.

Wordlessly, Daryl stripped off both his vest and shirt, casting them aside carelessly. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to have her. Without another word, his hand grabbed the waistline of her panties and pulled the thin fabric down in one swift tug.

Without warning, he straightened and jerked down the zipper of his pants, pulling out his erect member. His hands grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up, pressing her against the wall as he aligned their hips. Her eyes grew wide in understanding as she felt his manhood press against her opening. He was going to have her right here, in this cell even though everyone was just a few feet away. She whimpered as she felt him press forward, the tip of his arousal parting her feminine folds.

"Keep quiet," He repeated once again. He slammed into her as he spoke the last word, impaling her deeply and extracting a pleasured cry. His hands squeezed her thighs hard, keeping her supported and she wrapped her legs around his hips when he began to move.

"Fuck," he breathed, hardly aware that the word had left his mouth.

Kendall wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed him against her, pressing his torso against her bare chest. Her hands began to wander his scarred back, fingers exploring pale skin and smearing the droplets of sweat that'd formed. His thrusts were hard and fast as the animal in him took over.

Kendall moaned against his neck as she felt him fill her over and over again. Her arms tightened around his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin as she felt her sex squeeze him tighter.

"Oh fuck!" he moaned.

Kendall shuddered against him as she reached her peak. He groaned long and low as he felt months of sexual tension leave him all at once, pleasure flowing through him and leaving him mentally and physically drained. His fingers dug into soft flesh, no doubt bruising her, but she was too wrapped up in the pleasure to care. At last, his strength waned as he came down from his high and they both sunk to the floor, sweaty and breathless.

****LEMON END****

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall woke up. Her eyes flashed open. She groaned into her pillow and sat up, moving to the edge of the bed. "Daryl?" She whispered. When she didn't receive a reply she stood up and checked the top bunk but he wasn't nowhere in sight.

She assumed they were gearing up before they headed out to clear out the next cell block. Kendall grabbed her clothes up off the floor and quickly got ready to assist them. When she left her cell, they were all gathered by the door awaiting her arrival.

"Was just about to go get you," Rick said.

Kendall tightened the straps to her thigh holster. "Yeah, well I wouldn't be running late if one of you would've been nice enough to wake me up," She mumbled.

"Thought you could use a little more sleep," Daryl smirked. "You looked pretty spent after what happened yesterday,"

Kendall flushed at Daryl's words, which made Daryl feel pretty good at the moment. She quickly averted her gaze from Daryl and made her way to the front lines, ignoring the cold stare Carol was giving her.

"What do you say, same time tonight?" She whispered beside him. Daryl's head quickly snapped towards Kendall, too lost for words. Kendall shrugged, but couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips. "What, you started it."

"Alright, let's go." Rick said.

Kendall removed her machete from its sheath and grabbed her flashlight from her vest pocket. The exact feeling she had that day when she and Jackson went to scavenge for supplies, returned. Something bad was going to happen, and she didn't like it.

"You can do this, Kendall." She told herself. "Just focus on the objective at hand, nothing else."

Daryl inserted the key into the key hold and turned it to the left, unlocking the door. Quietly and cautiously as possible and with Rick leading the way, they advanced down the cell block, Glenn marking the walls with a can of spray paint so they wouldn't lose their way if something went down.

In general, Kendall did not like the dark. In fact, she despised it. Now they we're in a cell block with no light other than the flashlights they were holding. She just kept telling herself over and over everything would be alright, that they were perfectly capable of handling this. That it was going to be nothing more than a walk in the park.

She was disgusted as the countless corpses they had passed along the eerie halls. So far they hadn't stumbled across any threats, which she was grateful for. But that quickly ended when a loud thud echoed down one of the halls. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as they advanced towards the noise.

She pressed her back against the wall and shined her light down the hallway. As usual, her gut feeling was right. Down at the end of the hallway stood a group of walkers, too many for them to take on all at once, especially in their location. The halls we're too dark and crowded for them to even consider fighting.

"Fall back!" Kendall whispered urgently.

"Go back. Go back! Move!" Rick hissed. "Walkers!"

The seven quickly darted in the direction they came from, following the white arrows Glenn had marked. But to their dismay, even the marked areas were filled with walkers and had no choice but to take another route. Through sheer panic, the group managed to split up. Glenn and Maggie were nowhere to be found.

Daryl managed to find an open storage door and ushered everyone inside. "We've lost Glenn and Maggie." Kendall whispered, panic evident in her voice.

"We have to go back." Hershel whispered.

"But which way?" Daryl asked.

Rick opened the door and the five quickly stepped out before they ran into another group of walkers. "Maggie? Glenn?" Hershel called in a whisper.

Kendall signaled the others to move forward when the halls were cleared, but stopped when they heard Hershel screaming behind them. They quickly turned around and headed towards the sound of his pained screams. "No!" Rick yelled, shooting the walker point blank in the head.

Maggie and Glenn ran around the corner and froze at the sight. "No!" Maggie cried.

"Daryl!" Rick called.

"Hurry up!" Kendall said, as a group of walkers rounded the corner. "We've got to move, now!"

"Oh, god!" Maggie screamed.

"We're blocked!" T-Dog said.

Kendall sheathed her machete and pulled out her pistol, firing at the approaching walkers while Glenn and Rick lifted Hershel. "We have to go back! Go! Go!" Kendall said, grabbing Maggie's arm and pulled her in another direction.

They managed to stumble across another door with handcuffs locked around the handles. She had no idea what awaited on the other side of that door, but it was a chance she was willing to take. She leveled her pistol with the cuff chain and shot it off the handles and pushed the two doors open.

"Get in!" She shouted.

"Shut the door!" Rick ordered, lying Hershel down.

Daryl and T-Dog quickly shut the double doors and slid a baton through the handles to keep the walkers from entering. Kendall knelt down and inspected the gaping wound on Hershel's right leg. "Hold him down," Rick said, removing his belt.

Kendall tore the belt from Rick's hands and made a tourniquet just above Hershel's knee. "Alright," Rick said to Hershel as he reached for the axe lying beside Kendall. "Only one way to keep you alive."

Kendall turned her head away as Rick raised the axe above his head and brought it down to Hershel's leg repeatedly, amputating his leg just below the knee. "Oh…" Rick said, dropping the axe. "He's bleeding out."

Daryl and Kendall's eyes snapped to the five men standing behind the cafeteria window. "Duck," Daryl whispered. The duo quickly stood up and leveled their weapons at the men. As if the day couldn't get any worse, it just did.

"Holy shit," One man whispered.

**A/N: Don't forget to drop a review!**


	20. Negotiation

**A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone. Thanks Flamingaura and FanFicGirl10 for reviewing. Every author has that one or two chapters in their story their displeased with. Well this is one of them, but had to be written. It should pick up after this one, at least be a little more interesting. **

**Today, I honestly thought of making a new story dealing after this last season that just ended, but not too sure yet. I really considered dropping this one the other day, no lies. If you'll like it, please let me know. That way I can keep continuing. **

**Anywhoo, enough of the drama. Enjoy and please make sure to drop a review at the end of the chappie. **

**Chapter 20: Negotiation **

**~RECAP~**

Kendall tore the belt from Rick's hands and made a tourniquet just above Hershel's knee. "Alright," Rick said to Hershel as he reached for the axe lying beside Kendall. "Only one way to keep you alive."

Kendall turned her head away as Rick raised the axe above his head and brought it down to Hershel's leg repeatedly, amputating his leg just below the knee. "Oh…" Rick said, dropping the axe. "He's bleeding out."

Daryl and Kendall's eyes snapped to the five men standing behind the cafeteria window. "Duck," Daryl whispered. The duo quickly stood up and leveled their weapons at the men. As if the day couldn't get any worse, it just did.

"Holy shit," One man whispered.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Kendall kept her pistol trained on the prisoners. She had no intention of making the same mistake as she did before. She had to keep this group alive at all costs, even if that meant she had to terminate the possible threats standing before her.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked, as he and Kendall cautiously approached the five men in blue prison uniforms.

"Who the hell are you?" One man repeated back.

"Come on out of there," Daryl ordered. "Slow and steady."

"What happened to him?" One man said, curious.

"He got bit," Daryl replied, curtly.

"Bit?" The man said, pulling out a revolver from the front of his pants.

From the corner of her eye, Kendall noticed T was just as quick as she was on taking out these men if needed to be. "Don't even think about it," She growled angrily, leveling her pistol at the man. "Now I suggest you lower your weapon, nobody needs to get hurt."

"Do you have any medical supplies?" Glenn asked, rushing towards the back where the five men were hidden.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" Another man questioned.

T-Dog quickly turned his attention towards the door as the walkers were determined to be let in. Kendall on the other hand, refused to avert her attention away from the men.

"Who the hell are you people anyway?" The man asked.

Kendall snorted in disgust. _This must be the leader _She thought. She could already tell he was going to pose a problem to them and to the rest of their group.

"Don't look like no rescue team?" Another man said.

"If it's a rescue team you're waiting for, don't!" Rick said as he, Glenn and Maggie loaded Hershel onto a steel cart. "Come on, we got to go! T, get the door!"

"You're crazy, don't open that door!" Another man yelled.

"We got this!" T-Dog, reassured.

T-Dog removed the baton from the door's handles, letting in the one walker that was standing outside the door. He quickly slammed the walker against the wall and thrusted a pipe into his skull.

"Daryl! Kendall!" Rick shouted. "Let's go!"

The two slowly stepped back towards the exit, not once lowering their guard against the prisoners. Once they were out of sight, the two quickly headed towards the others to get Hershel help.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"Open the door!" Rick shouted at Carl.

"He's losing too much blood," Maggie panicked.

As Rick and the others ushered Hershel through the door into their cellblock, Kendall had mixed emotions as to what she should do. She didn't want to leave Daryl alone with the five prisoners, but she also wondered if Carol could handle Hershel without her.

"Go," Daryl said. "I got this."

She shook her head. "No, I'm staying here, with you. I taught Carol what I know, she's got this." She said. "Besides, if the five plan on making a move, you're going to need a little backup. You can't take them all on by yourself."

Daryl scoffed and the two turned their attention towards the door as they heard footsteps approaching their location. "That's far enough," Daryl said, as the five prisoners entered Cell Block C.

"Cell Block C, Cell four, that's mine gringo." The leader said. "Let me in,"

"Today's your lucky day fella's," Daryl said. "You've been pardon by the state of Georgia, you're free to go."

"What you got going on in there?" The leader asked curiously.

"Ain't none of your concern," Daryl said.

The leader took a step forward and pulled out his revolver, causing Daryl and Kendall to raise their weapons at the man. "Don't be telling me what's my concern," He said, taking a step forward.

"Chill dude," A man told the leader. "The man's leg is messed up, besides we're free now. Why are we still in here?"

"Smart man you got there with you." Kendall said. "Be wise and take his advice before you do something you might regret."

"Don't be telling me what to do, puta!" The leader shouted. "You wouldn't be the first pretty woman I've smacked for opening her big mouth."

"And you wouldn't be the first ugly ass man I've fed to a group of hungry flesh eaters, pendejo." Kendall retorted. "I suggest you and your 'buddies' leave, now."

"A group of civilians breaking into a prison you got no business being in, got me thinking there ain't no place for us to go." The leader said.

"Why don't you go find out," Daryl said.

"Maybe we'll just be going now," One man said.

"Hey, we ain't leaving!" The leader said.

"And you ain't coming in either," T-Dog said, rounding the corner, pistol ready.

"This is my house, my rules. I'll go wherever I damn well please!" The leader said.

"You might want to reconsider that before shit gets ugly." Kendall warned, taking a step forward. "We have no intention of letting you back into your old cell block. I don't like repeating myself, so I suggest you listen because I'm going to say it just once more. Leave. There's nothing for you here anymore."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Rick said as he rounded the corner. "Everyone relax, there is no need for this."

"How many you are in there?" The leader asked.

"Too many for you to handle," Rick said.

"Why don't you take him to a hospital?" The leader asked.

Rick, Daryl, T-0og and Kendall exchanged quick glances at one another and turned their attention back to the man holding the revolver. "How long have you been locked up in that cafeteria?" Rick asked.

"Going on like ten months," The leader replied.

"Riot broke out, never seen anything like it." One man said.

"I heard about dudes going cannibal, dying and coming back to life." Another said. "Crazy."

"One guard looked out for us and locked us up in the cafeteria told us to sit tight and threw me this piece and said he would be right back." The leader said.

"Yeah and that was two hundred and ninety two days ago." Another man said.

"Ninety four counting to mine," Another said.

"Shut up!" The leader said, irritably.

"We were thinking the Army or National Guard would be showing up any day now," The man said.

"There is no Army," Rick said.

"What do you mean?" The leader asked.

"There's no government, no hospitals, no police." Rick said. "It's all gone."

"For real?" One man asked.

"Serious," Rick replied.

"What about my mom?"

"My kids, my ol' lady?" One man said. "You gotta cell phone or something we could use to call our families?"

"You just don't get it do you?" Daryl said.

"No phones, no computers." Rick said. "As far as we can see, half of the population has been wiped out, probably more."

"Ain't no way," The leader said.

"Then how about you go and see for yourself," Kendall said, irritably. "See what the real world has become. See what you're up against."

The four walked behind the five prisoners as they marched their way out to the courtyard. "You never said, how the hell did you get in here in the first place?" The man named Andrew, asked.

"Cut a hole in that fence over there by that guard tower," Daryl pointed.

"That easy, huh?" Andrew said.

"When there's a will, there's a way." Daryl replied.

"Easy for you to say." Andrew said.

"So what is this like a disease?" Big Tiny asked.

"Yeah, and we're all infected." Rick replied.

"What do you mean infected?" Axel asked. "Like AIDS or something?"

Kendall snorted at his question. "If I was to kill you, shoot an arrow in your chest. You come back as one of these things." Daryl said. "It's gonna happen to all of us."

"Ain't no way you're all responsible for killing all these freaks." Tomas said.

"Must be fifty bodies out here," Andrew said.

"Where did you come from?" Tomas asked Rick.

"Atlanta," Rick replied.

"Where you headed?" He asked.

"For now, nowhere," Rick said.

"I guess you can take that area down over there by the water." Tomas said. "Should be comfortable."

"We're using the field for crops," Rick said.

"We'll help you move your gear out," Tomas said quickly.

"That won't be necessary," Rick said. "We took out these walkers, this prison is ours."

"Slow down cowboy," Tomas smirked.

"You smashed the locks off our doors," Andrew said.

"We'll give you new locks if that's how you want it." Rick said.

"This is our prison, we were here first," Tomas said.

"Locked in a broom closet," Rick scoffed. "We took it, set you free, it's ours. We spilt blood."

"We're moving back into our cell block," Tomas said.

"You'll have to get your own," Rick said.

"It is mine." Tomas said, drawing his weapon. "I took out personal artifacts in there, that's about as mine as it gets."

Before Tomas could even place his finger on the trigger, he found himself with three weapons aimed at him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Axel said, stepping between Rick and Tomas. "Maybe let's try to make this work out so that everybody wins."

"I don't see that happening," Tomas said.

"Neither do I," Rick said.

"I ain't going back into that cafeteria for one more minute." Tomas said.

"There are other cell blocks," Axel said.

"Or you could leave," Daryl said. "Try your luck out on the road."

"If these four pussies could do all this, the least we can do is take out another cell block." Tomas said to his men.

"With what?" Big Tiny asked.

"He'll spot us with real weapons, wont you boss?" Tomas asked Rick.

Kendall stepped up beside Rick, her back turned to the others. "I don't like this, Rick. We can't trust them, especially him." She whispered to him. "We should take them out while we have the chance. I can guarantee you he's up to something, something we'll regret later if we don't end this now. If you can't do it, just say the word. I'll end it quickly."

Rick placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I know." He said. "We're going to play this out just a little longer. Trust me, I have an idea."

Kendall turned her head to Rick and gave a swift nod. "How stocked is that cafeteria?" Rick asked. "Must have plenty of food, five guys lasting almost a year."

"Sure as hell don't look like anybody's been starving." Daryl said.

"There's only a little left." Tomas replied curtly.

"Well we'll take half," Rick said. "In exchange, we'll help you clear out a cell block."

"Didn't you just hear him, there's only a little left." Andrew said.

"Bet you got more food than choices," Rick said. "You pay, we play. We'll clear out a block for you, and then you keep to it."

"Alright," Tomas agreed.

"But let's be clear," Rick warned. "If we see you out here, anywhere near our people, if I as much as catch a whiff of your scent, I will kill you."

"Deal," Tomas said.

Tomas and the other prisoners led Rick and the others towards the pantry in the cafeteria. "The pantry's back here," Tomas said.

"You never tried to break out of here?" T-Dog asked.

"We tried to take the doors off," Said Oscar. "But if you made one peep in here, then those freaks would be lined up outside the door growing trying to get in."

"We done jerking each other off?" Tomas asked. "I'm sick of waiting back here."

Kendall noticed Rick's hand slowly going for his pistol, but grabbed his arm. "Don't worry about him, tend to the food first." She said. "I'll be right behind you if he even thinks of trying anything."

Rick gave a swift nod and entered the pantry along with Daryl. "This what you call a little bit of food?" Daryl growled.

"It goes fast," Tomas replied.

"Mmhmm,"

"You can have a bag of corn, some tuna finish-"

"If you want a cellblock cleared, I suggest you keep your end of the deal." Kendall said, irritably. "Payment is half of what you have stored in this pantry and nothing less than that, understand?"

"What's in there?" Rick said, pointing to the walk-in.

"Don't open that." Oscar warned.

Kendall stood beside Rick as he grabbed the handle to the walk-in and pulled it open. Rick quickly slammed the door and the two took several steps back away from the door. The stench in the walk-in was overwhelming. It was so strong it blasted through Rick and Kendall's sense of smell and filled all the others. Kendall quickly placed her over her face, trying to block out the smell. "Son of a," Kendall heaved.

"They wanted to know," Tomas chuckled.

"Can't wait for my own pot to piss in," Axel said.

T-Dog and Rick grabbed the first load of food while Kendall and Daryl babysat the five prisoners until the two returned so they could keep their end of the deal. While they waited, Kendall did an inventory check on her knives. She wanted to make sure she was prepared for going back into that hell hole.

She had about eight throwing knives, a gambler's dagger, the machete strapped to her back and not to mention her trusted pistols. "Those are some nice pieces," Tomas said, hinting at her pistols. "You plan on spotting us with some?"

Kendall scoffed. "I have no intention on handing over any of my weapons to the likes of you or to any of your men to be exact," She said. "You have five weapons to choose from on that table right in front of you, have at it."

"And what if I don't like any of these?" Thomas asked, taking a step forward.

Kendall glared at him. "Then it sounds like a damn personal problem to me."

"I want one," Thomas said, taking another step towards her.

"You already have one," Daryl growled.

Kendall quickly drew her pistol and shifted her gun sights to Tomas. "Back off," She warned. "We've 'spotted' you some weapons as you requested, be grateful we even gave you something to defend yourself with. If you don't like it, then there's the door."

Tomas opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it as Rick rounded the corner. "Do we have a problem here?" He asked, looking at Kendall and then to Tomas.

"No problem here," Tomas smirked, turning back to the others.

Kendall walked over to Daryl, holstering her gun as she went.

"Good," Rick said.


	21. The Final Straw

A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone. Life has been hectic. Thanks to FanFicGirl10 and Flaming aura (Fan Fiction) for reviewing as well as to those who've favorite/followed Bleak. Please keep the feedback coming, you don't realize how much motivation it gives me to continue.

I hope you find this chapter to your enjoyment.

Chapter 21: The Final Straw

Once again, the four along with the five prisoners stepped back into darkened halls, the undead ready to feed at any given time. As Daryl took the front and Rick and T-Dog took the middle, Kendall took it upon herself to take the rear to keep eye on the five prisoners. They couldn't be trusted, especially Tomas.

She anxiously waited for that one moment he would slip up. For that, she would quickly end his life in a matter of seconds. This group meant everything to her. It was her job to protect them at all costs, even if it meant she had to have more blood on her hands. She didn't really approve of Rick's decision on keeping them alive, but it was his call as leader and she needed to respect that.

Daryl peered around the corner and signaled the others to halt behind him. When he detected no threat he continued forward, the group following closely behind.

"Man, it's too damn dark in here." Oscar complained.

"Stop your whining and stay focused." Kendall hissed. "One slip and you could easily get yourself or all of us killed in the process."

Everyone halted when they heard footsteps approaching. Kendall's hand tightly gripped her machete as she prepared herself for the oncoming threats.

"It's coming!" Axel warned the others.

Kendall groaned in annoyance while everyone hushed him in the process. The fools had absolutely no chance of surviving at this rate. She just didn't want to be one of the casualties along with them.

Daryl held up a hand and began counting to three, but didn't make it past two as the five prisoners rushed towards the hungry flesh eaters, screaming. Kendall and the others watched dumbfounded as the five men took on the walkers, clearly making no improvement on taking any one of them down.

"Oh, for Christ sake." Kendall growled as she pulled out a few throwing knives from her breast pocket and advanced towards the prisoners to offer her aid. She snapped her right forearm forward and the knife into her targets skull, and continued to repeat the process until no walkers remained standing.

"What was the point of us giving you all the run down on how to kills these things if you're not going to heed any of our advice?" Kendall growled at the men as she retrieved her knives from the walker's skulls. "I swear you all are just wasting our time on all of this. You wouldn't last one minute out there on your own."

"We're really sorry, ma'am." Axel whispered.

"Whatever," She muttered.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

"It's gotta be the brain." Daryl demonstrated as he squeezed the trigger to his bow, firing an arrow straight into the walker's skull. "Not the stomach, not the heart, the brain."

"I hear ya, the brain." Axel said.

"Stay in tight formation," Rick said. "No more prison riot crap."

One by one the walkers went down as they made their way towards Cell Block B. The halls were crowded with the undead as well as the survivors for anyone to notice Big Tiny backing up from the group, in fear.

While doing so, he managed to get himself scratched by a walker's wrist-bone, causing him to be infected. Kendall jumped at the sound of three gunshots firing into the dark hall behind her. She quickly rounded the corner only to realize one of the prisoners was just attacked.

Kendall tossed Rick her flashlight so he could inspect the severity of the flesh wound. Kendall met Rick's gaze and shook her head.

"I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. It's just a scratch." Big Tiny said.

"I'm sorry, man." Rick said.

"I can keep fighting!" Big Tiny reassured.

"You cut that old guys leg off to save his life." Andrew said.

"Look where the bite is," Kendall said.

"Guys, I'm fine!" Big Tiny shouted. "I'm fine, look at me. I'm not changing into one of those things."

"Look man, there's got to be something we can do." Oscar said. "Just lock him up."

"Quarantine him," Axel said.

"We've got to do something," Andrew pleaded. "Why are you just standing there, we've got to save him."

"There's nothing we can do." Rick said.

"You son of a bitch," Andrew said.

While Big Tiny attempted to convince Rick that his scratch didn't cause an infection, his head was brutally smashed in repeatedly by Tomas, who showed no remorse after murdering his partner.

As they proceeded towards Cell Block B, Daryl decided to speak up. "Did you see that look on his face?" He whispered.

"If he makes one move," Rick said.

"Just give me the signal." Daryl said.

T-Dog opened a door leading to a laundry room. The eight survivors stood in front of metal double doors where walkers awaited from the other side. Daryl tossed Tomas the keys to the door at his feet.

"I ain't opening that," Tomas said.

"Yes you are." Rick said. ""You're going to open the door, just the one. Not the both of them because we need to control this."

Tomas picked up the keys up off the floor and took a quick glance at Andrew before inserting the key into the keyhole. Kendall and the others took a few steps back and prepared themselves for another fight.

"You bitche's ready?" Tomas asked and opened the two doors.

"I said one door!" Rick shouted at Tomas.

"Shit happens!" Tomas shouted back.

As Kendall quickly took down the walker in front of her, from the corner of her eye she noticed Tomas swinging his machete at Rick. Luckily Rick managed to dodge in time, but to her avail Tomas wasn't through yet. Tomas grabbed a walker and thrust his blade into its back and shoved it towards Rick, causing him to fall down onto the ground.

"Rick!" Kendall cried trough all the commotion. She tried to push her way through the group to get to Rick, but it was futile. "Daryl! Rick, help Rick, now!"

Daryl quickly nodded and rushed to Rick's side and thrusted his knife into the walkers skull, killing it instantly. Kendall removed her blade from the final walker and the room's noise seemed to die down, leaving only heavy breathing from the eight survivors.

"It was coming at me bro," Tomas said to Rick.

"Yeah, yeah I get it." Rick said, irritably. "Shit happens."

While Rick and Tomas stared at one another in silence, Kendall sheathed her machete and pulled out her pistol. Her entire world was tinted in one dark hue, red.

Kendall leveled her pistol with the back of Tomas' head and squeezed the trigger, catching everyone in the room by surprise. She stepped over the man's lifeless body and fired two more rounds into the back of his skull. "Good riddance," She muttered.

"No!" Andrew cried as he raised his bat to swing at her, but didn't have the opportunity to do so as Rick kicked him down onto the ground. Andrew quickly tried to get up but realized he was no match against the four and quickly ran out of the room.

"I got him," Rick said as he began pursuit after Andrew.

Kendall stepped over the several dead bodies on the ground to assist Rick, but stopped briefly to look at Daryl and T-Dog. "I'm going to assist Rick. You two keep guard over these morons for time being until we return." She said. "If they even think of trying anything, don't hesitate to kill them."

Once again, Kendall found herself walking down the eerie halls. She stopped for a brief moment as she heard Andrew scream and quickly picked up her pace until she found herself standing behind Rick who was staring blankly at the metal door as Andrew's cries emitted from the other side.

"Hey, you okay?" She whispered to Rick. He slowly nodded his head and proceeded down the steps where Kendall embraced him in a hug. "You did the right thing." She reassured.


	22. Author's Note

Author's Note: 06/28/2013

Hey everyone, sorry to disappoint you but this is not a new chapter. For each of my stories, this memo will be posted.

I'm so sorry for not updating. I know for most of my stories, it's been about a month since I've updated. A lot of things have happened recently. I have been slammed at work. I've been making thousands and thousands of copies at work and have had no time to throw in a little writing time.

Plus as some of you know, I am with child. She's due to arrive sometime in the beginning of August, but I have a feeling she'll be here at the end of July. I will be taking leave on July 19th. I'm hoping to be throwing in some time before she arrives because I know I won't have much time to write when she's born. But I will do my best to complete all stories. I have no intention of abandoning any one of them. It's just going to take a little more time to update between the update dates.

I've been so exhausted to do anything, let alone write. I hit a major block with all my stories, but today the ideas began to flow once again. So little by little I've worked on each chapter.

I planned on updating one story today, will not say which one, but a family emergency came up and I couldn't finish it. Today has possibly been one of the worst Friday's I've encountered. I seriously don't know what else could possibly happen within the next couple of hours. I just hope it gets better.

But like I said, I have no intention of abandoning my stories. I will update as soon as possible. Thanks for the reviews/follows and favorites everyone! It really does mean a lot to me.


	23. Distracting Thoughts

A/N: Hey everyone, so sorry for the wait. Here's the next chapter. Note, as I mentioned before this is rated M for a reason. Hence there will be a lemon in this chapter. Well…it's mostly all lemon. If you don't like lemons, don't read. I will eventually post the next chapter…which should be interesting as well. Thanks for all the reviews/follows/favorites and support you'll have been giving me. Please keep it coming. Love you all. Don't forget to review, but most of all enjoy!

**Chapter 22: Distracting Thoughts**

Kendall stared blankly at the pistol in her hands. She couldn't help but feel a slight tang of guilt as she realized she'd just shot another man, but a part of her kept telling herself that she did the right thing. She protected the group by eliminating the threat. If Tomas managed to take out Rick, there was no telling what could've happened to the rest of the group. For all she knew, they all could've wound up like Jackson if she hadn't managed to get the situation under control.

But the other part of her is what terrified her the most. Kendall hadn't felt like this since she took out Ivan. The coldness and numbness was returning. She felt as though she was beginning to lose herself once again and that no amount of praying was going to bring her old self back.

Kendall lowered her head, gritting her teeth in frustration as her hand tightened around her pistol. "You did the right thing, Evans." She told herself. "Stop feeling guilty over some jackass. There was no other option. It had to be done."

Kendall was too far lost in thought to notice Daryl had walked inside their cell. "Havin' trouble sleeping or somethin'?" He asked.

Daryl began to worry when she said nothing to him. She didn't even acknowledge his presence. Daryl breathed out a sigh in frustration and leaned his bow against the wall next to the cell doors before approaching the woman. As he got closer to Kendall he noticed her knuckles where turning white from the clutch she had on her pistol.

Daryl stepped beside her and placed one of his hands over hers and gently pried the pistol out of her hands. Kendall's head snapped up and she met Daryl's gaze. "Sorry," She said as she rubbed her tired eyes. "I'm not all here right now."

Daryl placed her pistol down onto the floor on top of her other belongings before turning his attention back to her. "Yeah, no shit." He muttered as he sat down beside her.

Kendall chuckled lightly before she punched him softly in the arm. "Shut up," She said. "I'm just exhausted is all. Nothing a little sex and sleep can't cure."

A small smirk found its way on the woman's face as she rested her forehead against Daryl's. Without warning, Daryl pulled away, leaving Kendall confused and unfulfilled, but when he lied down next to her, she knew what he wanted. His hand went to the fly of his pants and Kendall's mouth began to water.

His pants dropped to the floor, revealing his erect member which he slowly pumped in his hand. "Come here," he ordered. Kendall removed her olive shirt and black panties as she obediently crawled atop him and straddled his hips, looking at his manhood hungrily.

Daryl watched through lust glazed eyes as she took his member in her hand and aligned him with her slit. She began to press downward, driving him into her body inch by agonizing inch. He watched her face as he entered her, captivated by full pink lips parted in a pleasured gasp as slick feminine muscles wrapped around him. When her hips sank down to his base, she could feel his tip bumping against a wall deep inside, filling her completely.

She braced small palms on his chest, leaning forward to look down at his eyes as she lifted her hips off of him only to sink back down, panting heavily as he slid in and out of her entrance easily. They kissed in a hungry clash of lips and tongue, each seeking to devour the other between breathless pants and cries of pleasure. The rhythm of their mouths matched the driving of Kendall's hips, overtaking them until she felt that even her own heart was beating in time to their love making.

"Kendall," he growled, his own large hands instinctively moving to squeeze the toned cheeks of her ass, kneading the firm flesh as her hips established a slow and steady rhythm over his manhood.

He watched her ride him, thigh and abdominal muscles flexing beautifully with the effort. She was moaning softly every time her body engulfed him, mewling deliciously as he stretched her. She began to pick up the pace, grinding back and forth and Daryl couldn't help but urge her on, the hands on her rear assisting in lifting her up and down and encouraging her to move even faster. Her hazy eyes closed at the sensation as she moaned sensuously.

"Oh, Daryl," she moaned, fingernails biting into his chest.

Although he was pushing deep inside her, he felt like he could reach just a little bit further if she would only shift just a little.

"Sit up for me," he rasped, hands moving to rest on her hips and still her movements. The woman obeyed, sitting up straight so she was no longer leaning forward over him. She immediately felt his hard manhood shift inside her, rubbing against her cervix as he pushed up into her just a little more.

Her mouth fell open in an inarticulate moan as she felt his manhood sink deeper, but when he used his hands on her hips to pull her down as he thrust his own pelvis upward, that moan spiraled into a scream.

"You like that, baby?" Daryl smirked, knowing he was as deep as he could physically be in her. The woman atop him only sobbed as he thrust upward again, making her head fall back helplessly.

She began to grind her hips in desperate circles as Daryl continued to lift his pelvis while his hands pushed her downward, her impassioned cries mingled with his deeper, raspier moans and reverent utterances of how tight and hot she was and good she felt.

"Daryl…" she whimpered breathlessly, forcing her eyes open to look at him."I'm gonna…"

"Do it," he growled huskily.

She could see his eyes staring at her hungrily, and even when she closed her own, she could still feel his gaze on her. He wanted to watch her fall off the edge, wanted to see her at the pinnacle of pleasure. The constant waves of desire flowing through her continued to increase in frequency and intensity until everything around her was washed away. With a desperate cry, she came.

So caught up in her release she didn't hear the swearing of Daryl as her muscles clamped around him with vice like strength. Kendall was only vaguely aware of him tossing her body backwards so she was on her back. By the time full consciousness returned, her legs were already spread wide, an ankle in each of his callused hands, and was pumping into her with animalistic ferocity.

Daryl let out a low groan, warning through clenched teeth that he was on the verge of coming. He managed a few more thrusts before burying his face in the crook of her neck and let his own release wash over him, spilling himself into Kendall's womb. He muttered a soft curse as he collapsed on top of his lover, face buried in the pillow her head rested on and the two fell into a deep sleep.

**~THE WALKING DEAD~**

Carol thought she was the only one awake at this time. Rick was on watch while everyone slept peacefully inside their cells. But as she was ready to call it a night herself and headed up stairs to her and Lori's cell, she stopped shortly halfway up the stairs to the second floor as she heard loud moans and small screams emitting from inside Kendall's cell.

Quietly she walked up the rest of the remaining steps to the second floor and pressed herself against the wall, then peered through the bars into Kendall's cell. She frowned at the sight and dragged her nails down the grey wall as she watched that vile woman making love to the man she loved dearly. She wanted her gone, wiped off the face of the earth.


End file.
